The Phantom Menace
by Amme Moto
Summary: She started out on Korriban, searching the place for Sith ruins. Then when she woke up two Jedi named Quai Gon and Obi Wan told her she was four thousand years in the future! Now she's to help save Anikan Skywalker without dying, to get back to Carth!
1. Who Are You?

**Alright, notes before the actual story. First, I'm using Connan Frai from Just Like Me. She's a Celtic human who plays the flute like a pro, and she has a Kath Hound dog. (For those of you who have read Just Like Me, Jishin will not be in this story, though she will be referred to at times.)**

**There is a suggested Quai Gon/Connan atmosphere at times, but nothing happens for sweet little Carth's sake.**

**This WILL be a trilogy, and possibly I might go through the whole saga.**

**Disclaimer: Æliesha the Kath Hound and Connan Frai are mine, the rest belong to George Lucas and the makers of KOTOR.**

**Who Are You?**

Connan kicked a pebble from her path absently, grumbling as sand swirled in front of her eyes. The grimy substance filled her shoes and invaded her toes, leaving the grungy feeling across her whole body. She shuddered as she vainly tried to wiggle her feet enough to get out all the sand.

Korriban was a very desolate place as of late.

"Why must we explore here _more_?" She griped to Jolee, standing directly behind her. She separated her brown hair into two pieces and placed it over her shoulders.

An agreeing bark came from behind the disgruntled Jedi as Æliesha bounded up to her master. The Kath Hound runt stood only at Revan's fingertips, and took pride in being able to get a head-massage without her master taking all the trouble of standing on her tip-toes to reach her. Æliesha growled affectionately as Connan proceeded to smother the Hound in scratches from behind the ears and below the chin. The woman cooed gently at her beloved Hound, whispering things only Æliesha would understand.

"I swear lass, you spoil that Hound so much." Jolee pouted. He crossed his arms and coughed. "And stop kicking up dirt; it's getting into my withered lungs! Are you trying to suffocate me?"

"Please," Carth ran up to Connan on her other side, careful not to offend Æliesha, and wrapped an arm around Connan. "If she had wanted to do that, you would have been gone already."

Jolee sputtered, obviously in shock. Connan giggled, turning around to wink at the man.

"I've decided to let old age catch up to him. I'd give him two weeks." She joked, waving a hand at him. She took off into the desolate surface of Korriban, hearing the old ramblings of Jolee she adored hearing.

"I'll show _you _two weeks, Frai!" He shouted, taking off at an uneasy jog after her. Connan burst out laughing, her run now into a sprint. The clear open dunes of the deserted planet appealed to her greatly for running space. She eased her running off a bit to pull out her silver shined flute, tracing over the cut marks from battle quickly before pushing the mouthpiece up onto her mouth. Using the flute, Connan formed words into the air, allowing them to reach Æliesha's ears. It was a form of communication.

"**Æliesha! Come with me!" **She blew into the flute. She instantly heard the hound's bark in reply. She could feel the dog's feet bound up to her through the Force, and soon saw the dog's blurred fur as she kept pace with her owner.

"Come back here, Frai!" Carth called, sprinting off after her. The concern in his voice made her laugh. "It's dangerous out there! We don't know what we'll find!"

Connan giggled, only going faster in her chase.

A loud wind struck her abruptly, stopping her in her tracks as she covered her face from all the sand.

"Damn, I can't see a thing!" She murmured. "Æliesha, are you there?" She asked around. The dog barked in reply.

The gusts lasted long enough for Jolee and Carth to catch up to her, and stopped so suddenly, Connan was thrown from her feet and fell backwards onto Carth. Carth caught her around the waist and hoisted her up once again.

"Don't run off like that, you scared me!" Carth scolded, flicking a finger at her. Connan rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Yes, _Kreia_." She spouted, slapping a hand to her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Who?" Carth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No one! Why did I even say that?" Connan covered with a meek laugh.

"Frai?" Jolee interrupted. Carth cut him short.

"No, really, who is Kreia?" Carth crossed his arms and planted his feet firmly onto the ground. The force of his movements caused his hair to fall into his face. Connan chuckled and brushed the offensive hair out of the way.

"No one, love. Leave it at that." She clicked her tongue at him and smirked.

"Onasi?" Jolee poked the man on his shoulder. Connan brushed him off.

"You can't expect me to leave everything you say accidentally just 'at that' you know." Carth spat. Connan sighed, looking away.

"What do you want me to do, then?" She sputtered.

"Tell me!" Carth cried, now more agitated than anything.

"Guys!" Jolee screamed, causing him to cough once more. Connan observed the man as he hacked up his lungs.

"You know, all you had to do was say my name. You didn't have to shout." She said calmly. Jolee poked her in the ribs, causing her to squeal.

"Don't tell _me_ what to do, missy!" He threatened. "I've been trying to get your attention to tell you to look!" He pointed his crooked finger in front of them.

Connan focused in front of herself, expecting to see nothing but sand and ruins. What she saw made her gasp.

In font of the Jedi and Carth was a dark purple hole in the middle of the air. It was just floating, a slight whirring sound emitting from it as it swirled into itself. Connan was mystified by it.

"Whoa," She exclaimed softly. She walked up to it slowly, her hound following protectively at her feet.

Connan neared the object and circled it, inspecting all of its sides. As she rounded to a forty-five degree angle, the object became razor-thin; so skinny that she had to squint her eyes almost shut to see it.

"It's there, alright." She said, walking back to the front. "But what is it?" She reached out a calloused hand to touch it.

"Don't touch it!" Carth scolded, preparing to swat Connan's hand back down.

Then it struck.

A purple fog laced evenly around Connan's arm, restricting her from escaping. Connan immediately tried to retreat, squealing as she did. The purple thing wouldn't let go. It began to pull her into itself.

Æliesha bit the fog just as Connan blacked out, and she last things she heard were her dog crying in pain and Carth's cry.

"Connan!" He shrieked.

Everything went black.

-----

Connan awoke suddenly, keeping her eyes shut. She felt around the room with her mind, searching all the unfamiliar things thoroughly. Nothing was as it was supposed to be. Connan was supposed to be on Korriban, searching through the now deserted academy there. The only kind of technology around her was the ship, and _this_ felt nothing like it. There were stainless steel beds around her, syringes in bottles laying on tables—

And it was cold. Connan didn't like cold. Their ship was always at least twenty-nine degrees Celsius. This place _had _to be no more than eighteen degrees.

Not to mention that the minds Connan touched outside the room weren't those of her comrades. She couldn't sense her hound around at all, and her flute wasn't sitting in her pocket.

Come to think of it… those clothes didn't feel like her regular Jedi Master robes she picked off of a dead Jedi she found. And where were her lightsabers? Her mines? Her grenades?

So, out of sheer wisdom, Connan did not open her eyes.

_I can at least try to find my weapons. _Connan thought. She felt around the room quietly, careful not to trigger any more Force-adept minds, looking for her sabers. She found them in her bag, slinging across the cemented-down chair in the corner. In there also resided her flute, her grenades, and her mines. She sighed. If anyone came in, she's deal with them.

It wasn't until five minutes later that she sensed someone coming into the room. A man, about her age, with one weapon concealed under his poncho. A lightsaber, by Connan's reckoning. She kept her eyes shut.

The man pulled one of the syringes out of the bottle next to the chair and put something into it. Connan cringed inwardly. As the man came toward her, she slowly moved her hand to grab a hold of her saber.

She opened her eyes and jerked herself up, beckoning her saber toward herself. She ignited it with a flick of her thumb and whirled it at the man, telling him slightly with its blue rage not to touch her.

The man took out his own pure green lightsaber.

"I am not going to harm you," He spoke gently, with a voice that nearly took Connan by surprise. She shook her head violently.

"That syringe spoke otherwise." She snarled, keeping her saber in front of her waist. She backed up into a corner.

The man held his left hand in the air, the other still grasping the lightsaber. "I swear to you as a Jedi, I will not hurt you." He said, smiling at her. She cocked an eyebrow and slowly straightened.

"Jedi?" She asked. Her lightsaber clicked off and she threw it back where she got it. "Where am I? Who are you? Where are my friends? Why are you keeping me here? What happened to me!"

"Calm down, young one." The man said, sitting her down on the bed again. "I'll explain it to you once my apprentice gets here."

Hesitating, Connan took this time to take in the man's features. He had light brown hair, flaking down his back to about mid-way, then cut off. His bangs were tied back in a knot to keep out of his eyes. His eyes—by the way—Connan noted were a deep blue-green. His old poncho covered up his Jedi robes, as if he didn't want people knowing he was a Jedi.

Connan liked him from appearance.

Connan sighed, looking away from the man and staring at the white floor.

"What's your name?" She asked quietly, the man almost didn't hear her.

"My name is Quai-Gon Gin, and I am a Jedi Knight." He said. "And who are you?"

The door _shucked _open and in came another name, slightly younger than the first, with regular cut hair and a braid hanging down from his ear. His Jedi robes stayed perfectly clean and mended.

Connan still wasn't sure about him.

"Ah, Obi-Wan, there you are. Just in time. Our patient has awakened." Quai-Gon waved a hand at Connan. She backed up again, away from the two.

"Patient?" She asked. "Who are you people?"

"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, apprentice to Quai-Gon Gin." The smaller man answered. "We found you out on the Outer Rim worlds, all bloodied up and dying."

"Outer Rim worlds?" Connan repeated. "You mean we aren't in the Outer Rim?"

"Why, no, of course not!" Obi-Wan said testily. "Why would you think we would stay out there?" Connan stuck her tongue out at him, causing the man to flinch.

"Obi-Wan," Quai-Gon stated. "Means that we are on Coruscant. Could you not feel it as you awakened? Surely Coruscant has its own feel, seeing as to how it is the Republic's capitol."

"On _Coruscant?_" Connan was sounding like a parrot. "No, we can't be…. I would have felt it. But—" Connan stopped. "Oh, Force!"

"Watch your language!" Obi-Wan scolded. Connan ignored him. She stood up and began pacing around the room.

"Carth is still on Korriban! He and the others—but why didn't you take me to them when you found me? Were they not searching for me?" Connan stared at Quai-Gon through wet eyes. He hesitated in answering.

"There….there was no one else on Korriban. No one has been on that planet for four-thousand years." He answered slowly.

"Except for us three weeks ago…." Obi-Wan griped.

Connan nearly fell over. She grasped onto the bed so hard, her knuckles turned white. "Four-_thousand_ years?" She screamed. "What year is it?"

Connan knew what Quai-Gon was going to say, though she dreaded above anything else to hear it.

"It would be Republic year number nineteen thousand."

-----

The End!

**How'd you like it? I'm not changing the saga much. In fact, the next chapter they go as ambassadors to that ship above Naboo. I hope I spelled that right. **

**I got the "Nineteen hundred" year from the beginning of KOTOR, if you must know. They said "20 rotations would be more than 20,000 years! That means he's at least 5,000 years older than the Republic itself!" So fifteen thousand that four-thousand at the summary page, and there's nineteen thousand years.**

**Please review!**


	2. The Meeting

**Alright, so only one person reviewed, but I got like 70 hits! That's still good! n.n Here's chapter two.**

**Disclaimer: Boo! No own.**

**The Meeting**

Connan knew what they were going to say before it was spit out of his mouth. To hear the words actually said, however, nearly toppled her over. She kept her fingers tightly wrapped around the bedpost.

"No way…" She whispered. "How did this happen? It must have been that purple blob. That thing was up to no good from the start. When I get back I'm buying Carth a shot of Juma Juice. Scratch that, I'm making Griff get his head-tails in gear and force him to make us some Tarisian Ale!"

"Juma Juice?" Obi Wan Kenobi repeated. "What is that?"

"It is a type of alcohol, not used in over two thousand years." Quai Gon answered for Connan. She slightly raised an eyebrow curiously. "But how could she buy that if it hasn't been used in years?" She disregarded the words and kept mumbling.

"So that would mean I'm—Oh, Force, I'm four thousand thirty four!" Connan wailed, flopping over onto the bed and sobbing. "I'm _old_! My corpse should be rotting in a tomb somewhere on Coruscant, but here I am, stuck in the future."

Both Quai Gon Gin and Obi Wan Kenobi jumped up at stared at the woman with wide eyes. Obi Wan blanched.

"What do you mean… future?" He asked, creeping toward Connan. "Who are you?"

"I'm known by two names. One is Connan Frai—which I prefer—and the other is Revan." Connan half-expected them to laugh in her face and call her crazy.

Instead they gave her these blank faces that unnerved her.

"You know, Darth Revan, nearly destroyed the Republic? Connan Frai, the woman who killed Revan's apprentice to save it?" Connan waved a hand in front of Quai Gon. He blinked.

"I don't recognize those names. Do you, Padawan?" Quai Gon asked Obi Wan. The man shrugged.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, Force, am I in trouble." Connan ignored Obi Wan's wincing. She went back trying to explain who she was. "You know, Connan? The most powerful Jedi to be on both sides of the Force? Can shoot lightning and take energy but still can heal and put people in a stasis?"

"How can you be certain this is the future?" Quai Gon sat beside Connan now, placing an arm around her shoulders and hugging her in. "What happened?"

"Me, Carth, and Jolee were exploring the ruins on Korriban once more, in case we'd missed something. We saw this purple blob appear and suck me into it. My dog bit onto it, trying to free me. I woke up here." Connan frowned. "Poor Æliesha! I wonder if she's ok…." She looked up at Quai Gon. "Send me back! I have to get back to Carth!"

"We didn't bring you here, Connan." Quai Gon explained. "We found you on Korriban; Senator Palpatine insisted we search above the planet for the viceroys."

"And I've been in here for three weeks?" Connan asked.

"Sort of," Obi Wan said, sitting in the desk's chair. "When we found you this Kath Hound insisted on protecting you, like it knew you for years. It took us a day and a half to get it to let us help you. Then it took four days to get back here."

"Æliesha? She's here?" Connan jumped.

"That hound was your dog?" Obi Wan sneered. "That thing is so ferocious it just about ripped us apart!"

"What?" Connan slacked her jaw in surprise. "Did you harm her? Where is she?"

"We did not hurt the hound; it seemed to genuinely care about you. It's in the Academy here, if you want us to fetch her for you." Quai Gon prepared himself to leave. Connan shook her head.

"No thanks," She said, using her Force to float her bag to her and started rummaging through it. She pulled out a tin flute, inspecting it for damage. There was none. "I'll call her."

"Uhh…" Obi Wan grew nervous. "Is that wise? The hound is on the other side of the Academy. She might not hear it." Connan scoffed.

"We'll see."

She placed the flute to her lips and blew a note. It still worked. She took a deep breath and began communicating to Æliesha, wherever she was.

"**Æliesha, where are you? Come here!" **She played, using only sixteenth notes, trying to make it as quick and soft as possible.

A huge sense of well-being and protection swept over Connan. She was sure that her dog had heard her.

"It'll be about two minutes." She said. "After that, I think I shall need to talk to the Jedi Council."

"It takes a long time to get a meeting with the Jedi Council. I'm not even sure if they know you're here, yet." Quai Gon scowled. Connan rolled her eyes.

"Some things haven't changed." She murmured, getting a slap in the back of the head from Obi Wan. "There's a solution to that problem, you know."

"If you mean to barge in on the Council, I would advise against it. They seem to get agitated at people who do that." Obi Wan warned.

"I was never a favorite of the Council in the first place." Connan answered, pacing the floor and pursing her lips. "Who are they?"

"There is Master Yoda, Master Windu, and others." Quai Gon explained. "All-in-all, there are about thirteen on the council."

"Thirteen?" Connan gasped. "That's three times as many as we have on our Council!"

"How can there be four and one-third people in a Council?" Obi Wan asked, causing Connan to roll her eyes.

"There are four people on the Council, smart-ass." She answered. "Master Vandar, Master Vrook, Master Zhar, and Master Kavar. Master Dorak was sadly lost in the attack on Dantooine." Connan counted off all the Council members. "They all hated me. Well, Zhar pitied me; but it's the same difference."

"You _knew _Master Zhar?" Obi Wan gaped, his mouth wide open. "What's he like?"

"How can you know about Mast Zhar and not about me?" Connan spat.

"It's not my fault; we're knowledgeable only on the Jedi Masters, not schizophrenic Sith Lords." Obi Wan chided.

"I am _not_ schizophrenic!" Connan screeched, standing. She chuckled at herself. "Well, not on the outside."

"Alright!" Quai Gon shouted, pulling her pack down and Force Pushing Obi Wan backwards a way. "You two are going at each other like a Hutt on Nul Hutta. Stay quiet when the other is talking!" The two didn't talk. "Now, describe Master Zhar."

"He's a Twi'lek with so much wisdom; he could write a book and still have more wise words spouting off his headtails." Connan droned, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "And he won't leave me alone about Carth."

"We know nothing of a Carth." Quai Gon stated. "Who is he?"

"He's an Admiral now, Admiral Carth Onasi. Great man, he is." Connan grinned, remembering him. She face turned disappointed and she snapped her fingers. "Force, I should have listened to him."

"Will you _watch _that tongue of yours?" Obi Wan scolded, now more agitated than anything. Connan turned to regard him.

"Force, Force, Force, Force, FORCE!" She shouted, causing him to step away from her. He didn't try to hide the disgust on his face as he scowled at her malice.

Connan, on the other hand, was laughing. She placed a hand on her stomach and fell onto her back.

"What is wrong with that word?" She asked Quai Gon. "I don't understand why he's so worked up about it."

"It's been deemed disrespectful to the Force to take its name in vain." Quai Gon answered solemnly.

"Disrespectful?" Connan repeated. "I'm not _even _going into a rant about that."

A resounding _woof _rang through the halls, and the familiar prattling of paws sounded like sweet music to Connan as her faithful hound bounded up to her.

"There you are!" Connan's voice became babyish, a small cooing voice resembling that of a monkey's. "There you are! How's my little Æliesha? Did they treat you well?"

"That certainly is a small Kath Hound." Quai Gon commented, stepping back as it glanced menacingly at him.

"Isn't she? It's just all the better. It's easier for her to kill when she's not as big as a Rodos." Connan answered Quai Gon's question before continuing to talk to her Hound. "Isn't it? Those Sith don't stand a chance against you, do they? Good girl!"

Æliesha barked loudly, agreeing with Connan.

"Did she just understand what you said?" Obi Wan asked.

"Of course she did! She's a smart little Kath Hound! Aren't you? Aren't you the smartest Kath Hound ever?" Connan sneered, scratching Æliesha behind the ears. She gave another approving bark and licked her master's hand.

"Now," Connan changed moods quickly, eyeing Quai Gon in the face. "Where is the Jedi Council?" She glanced between Obi Wan and Quai Gon, who also exchanged looks.

"They're… on the next floor." Quai Gon surrendered. "I suppose if you want to see them, we should take you to them." He conceited. Connan nodded.

"That's right." She crossed her arms and smiled. "Thanks."

"What?" Obi Wan asked. "She could be siding with the Viceroys for all we know, and you're going to let her see the Council?" He crossed his arms, defiance across his face.

"Don't argue, young Padawan. I sense no deception in her. Do you?" Quai Gon held a hand out to his apprentice, who eyed Connan suspiciously. Finally, the Padawan took his master's hand and left the room.

"I'll be out in a minute, guys. I'd rather go see the Council in my own clothes." Connan shut the door and quickly changed into her Makashi Robes, installing her mines and grenades in their usual spots in her inside pockets.

"Come on, Æliesha, let's go meet another Council." Connan called to her dog, grabbing her bag from the desk and opening the door.

Quai Gon Gin and Obi Wan Kenobi were in a corner a few yards away. Quai Gon nodded and began up a pair of stairs placed on the other side of the hallway.

"This Council isn't very merciful, just so you know." Obi Wan sneered, eyeing Connan. She scoffed.

"Nothing new. I had my memory erased by my council about five or six years ago. Now _that's _merciless."

"Sure, you did." Obi Wan spat. Connan grunted.

They were silent the rest of the way to the Council Room. Connan was focusing on what was happening.

How could that blob have transported her four thousand years into the past? How did Æliesha get tagged along? And if Æliesha was dragged into it, then were Carth and Jolee?

And if they were, where were they?

They could still be on Korriban, for all she knew. They said that she was found on the desolate planet all alone—except for Æliesha of course—and there was no ship in sight.

"_There _is _a possibility that they saw us unconscious and left us for dead, you realize." _A voice spoke to Connan. She didn't jump at the sudden opinion.

"_That wouldn't happen; Carth would never do that. There has to be another reason. Figure it out later." _She replied to it.

The doors to the Council Room opened and Connan stormed in.

The room was much more humble than the one on Dantooine. This Council's Room was high in the air on Coruscant while the one on Dantooine stayed firmly on the ground. Yet this one had more pride to it. The floors were decorated with lovely red and gold velvet rings, and the dark blue—almost black—chairs the four people accommodated held a strange emblem: something which resembled an eye with eight arms sticking off of it, encircled by blue rims and silver dots. The whole of the emblem was in front of a gold background, with blue wings spreading out of it. It looked like a vault door if Connan looked closely enough.

She was greeted by four faces: a Twi'lek, a human, a strange alien, and someone who looked like Master Vandar.

She didn't like them. She crossed her arms protectively, raising an eyebrow and sucking on her teeth. Her Kath Hound sat obediently beside her; its head held high and its ears straight.

"Who is this, Jedi Obi Wan?" The human asked, folding his fingers delicately into his lap.

"Well—Master Windu—this is the woman we found on Korriban and her Kath Hound. They wished to speak to you." Quai Gon bowed.

"Ah! Wear the Jedi Robes she does. A Jedi, do you think she is?" The Master Vandar clone asked. Connan refrained from laughing at his speech. It _definitely _set him apart from Master Vandar.

"No, I wear these robes because I like the color." The sarcasm dripped from her voice acidly. She held her arms out at her sides to make all of her robes visible. The brown color did tend to clash with her complexion.

"You are very vain for a Jedi. I don't recall this one; I could have sworn I knew every Apprentice to Master there is." Said the strange alien, rubbing his chin.

"Uh—_was_—if you don't mind. I shouldn't be alive right now." Connan bowed slightly, laughing at her own joke. The human—Master Windu—raised an eyebrow.

"Did these two Jedi save your life somehow?" He asked, leaning forward.

"Yes and no." Connan began pacing the floor, a smooth left and right motion, taking three steps in each direction. "It's complicated."

"Then why don't you start at the beginning, young one?" The alien asked. Connan sighed. They would become bored with her story, she knew. The Council was never one to care for her, and she could sense that they were just biding their time until they could throw her out politely.

"Well I was on my ship the _Ebon Hawk _this morning—" She began. She hadn't taken her second breath before she was interrupted.

"Your ship is the _Ebon Hawk_?" Master Windu inquired, shock apparent on his face. "You know its location?"

"No more than you do. Now let me finish." Connan snapped. She continued. "When we landed on Korriban, it was decided that Carth, Jolee, Æliesha and I would go out onto the planet and search for—what it was we were searching for." She was interrupted again.

"What were you doing on Korriban? That place hasn't been inhabited for centuries." The alien asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Are you going to interrupt me after every single sentence?" Connan shouted, watching the three men lean backward. They were silent. "Thank you. Now, when we got onto the planet I ran ahead to look for the caves we needed to get into. Bastila had said that she'd heard of a tarentatek in one of them, aside from the three we'd already destroyed on the planet. Anyway, Carth and Jolee finally caught up with me when this purple blob appeared in front of us! Me: being the stupid idiot I am, tried to touch it. It reached out and sorts of—well, wrapped itself around my arm. I remember Æliesha grabbing onto the stem of the thing, then I woke up in that room back there." Connan pointed outside the doorway.

The Masters stayed silent for several moments, exchanging glances as if they were communicating within their minds. Finally, the green one spoke.

"You name we shall probably need to know, hmmm?" He chided. Connan sighed.

"You can call me Revan or Connan Frai." She said, rolling her eyes. The Masters all straightened in their chairs.

"How can this be?" Asked the alien.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think you get names when you're born. And since I had my memory erased and I thought I was someone else for a year, I had another name. I'm Revan and Connan Frai." Connan leaned toward the Masters as her tone rose and fell.

"There is no need to be vain, miss." Master Windu held a hand into the air. Connan scoffed.

"'Miss'? Didn't I just _tell _you my names?" She asked, a tinge of frustration in her tone.

"Find it hard to believe, we do." The green one said. "Four thousand years ago was Revan's time. Nearly take over the Republic, she did. Great destruction she caused."

"Now wait just a minute!" Connan threw a finger into the air. "Is that what you people think I did? You're sorely misguided. My intentions were not to control the Republic."

"You truly think you're Revan?" Master Windu folded his fingers in front of his face.

"Masters—you mean there _is _such a person as Revan?" Obi Wan strode forward, shock apparent on his face.

"Told you." Connan spat. "Listen next time your elders speak to you, Sonny." Connan smirked; she sounded like Jolee. A tear whelped up in her eye. She brushed it away.

"Don't be rude, Connan." Quai Gon whispered. Connan obeyed.

"Can you prove that you're Revan?" The alien asked. Connan glanced around the room anxiously. There was nothing in the room that she could use to prove who she was. She turned around, glancing at the door as a droid clunked by.

Connan snapped her fingers. "I've got it!" She said. "Bring that droid back!"

Quai Gon left the room and reappeared with the slightly surprised droid.

"May I be of some assistance to you?" The droid asked. Connan nodded.

"Yes, I want you to look up an image of both the Jedi Revan and the Jedi Connan." Connan ordered. The droid computed her words.

"I am unable to do that without Jedi recognition. Please give your Jedi I.D." The droid droned. Connan groaned.

"I hate doing this." She murmured. "C-764892746-O-Alpha." She sputtered. The droid stopped moving.

"That is an old-fashioned I.D." Master Windu commented. "Are you sure it'll go through?" Connan ignored him.

"Identification accepted. Welcome, Jedi Revan! Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, I need a picture of the Jedi Connan Frai—I.D. number K-936476936-Q-Omega—and myself, if you don't mind, and then I'll want any information on any droids that start with HK." Connan ordered. The droid bowed and waddled to the console outside the room.

"What just happened?" Obi Wan asked.

"Apparently these droids keeps _all _identifications locked within them, no matter if they were four thousand year ago, or yesterday." Quai Gon answered.

"Why did you want information about an HK droid?" Master Windu inquired. "What _is _an HK droid?"

Connan sighed. "Good. So none have been made since the HK-50. That's great! Keeps me out of a huge mess." She scratched her head.

The droid hurried back with two datapads.

"Jedi Revan, here are your datapads. This one has the HK droid information on it, and the other has the information of Jedi Connan Frai and yourself on it." The droid handed the two cards to Connan.

"Thanks, that's all."

Connan threw the first pad at Master Yoda, who caught it and examined it. Connan turned on the second pad and flipped through it. There were no new HK droids, since the exile Donella Segora and Connan had stopped their construction on Telos. And of course there was a large database on her faithful machine HK-47. She missed that red assassin.

"Well," Gasped the alien. "We welcome you, Jedi Revan." Master Windu bowed his head.

"At least someone believes me now." Connan growled, eyeing Obi Wan again. "I just need to know how to get back."

"We do not know how to get you back." Mater Windu emphasized.

"Then I'm going to be here awhile. I guess I could contact my Jedi Council and see what they'd do." Connan considered.

"You may do that, but we have a favor." The alien held up his hand, stopping Connan's thoughts. "It involves Obi Wan and Quai Gon, too."

"It does," Master Yoda nodded. "A meeting we need you to attend. Negotiate blockades on Naboo, could you?"

"What about Naboo?" Connan whirled around. "It's under blockade?"

"We are in a war, in case you didn't know." Obi Wan chided. Connan puffed up.

"I must not be with the times."

"Ambassadors you must be on this mission, Quai Gon. Attack if attacked only, please." Master Yoda went on. Connan raised an eyebrow at him.

"So why tell me this?" She asked. She was hoping she could ditch the smart-mouth and the quiet one high-tail it out of this century into hers. Master Windu stood.

"We would like you to accompany them."

THE END!

Gosh I finally finished this! Please review! The next chapter they're actually on the ship with the viceroys. Please review!


	3. Definitely Not Negotiating

**Definitely Not Negotiating**

"Captain," Quai Gon pulled his hood over his head. Connan stood beside him, her hood already covering her face, with one hip swung outward. She was staring out the window in front of them, looking over the huge vessel before her. They were to board this ship and _negotiate _the end of the blockade on Naboo. It was futile, Connan knew, but the Council wished them to try. They forgot the fact that these people don't like Jedi, and that it's a whole ship against three people, since the Council wouldn't allow Æliesha to come. But Connan obliged them wordlessly, inwardly cursing them with scowls and glares.

And since when had Connan been one to defy any Council?

"Yes, sir?" The woman replied, eyeing Quai Gon cautiously.

"Tell them we wish to board at once." Quai Gon ordered. The woman nodded, and started talking to the big ship in front of them.

"This is hopeless." Connan whispered the Obi Wan, who stood on her left. Quai Gon's head perked from her right, as he listened in on their conversation. "There's no way we can't get out of there without a fight."

"Are you underestimating us?" Obi Wan asked, crossing his arms. His hood hid his face from view, but Connan could tell he was glowering.

"No, no, I'm not. I'm just saying that if these people are psychotic enough to blockade a planet with large ships, then they're psychotic enough to not listen to negotiations." Connan explained. "Think of it like a hostage situation. The holder most of the time won't listen to reason. They want what they want, and they'll see it no other way."

"This _is _a hostage situation." Obi Wan clarified.

"So you'll be able to see I'm right." Connan countered. Quai Gon chuckled.

"It's nice to see you two finally getting along." He murmured.

-----

"Make yourselves comfortable," The droid—TC-14—insisted, standing beside Connan. The silver on the machine bounced the reflection of Connan back to her, and she was able to hide her lightsaber from view. Connan tugged at her robes nervously. "My Master shall be with you shortly."

The droid left the room.

"This is such a bad idea," Connan sat in the meeting parlor on board the leader ship in the Naboo blockade, biting her nails. "The Council is stupid if it thinks this will work. Since when do people negotiate over war?"

The parlor was very plain, just four silver steel walls with a window and a table with chairs around it. The table had a clear vase with orange flowers in it, but other than that it was very boring.

"Would you rather rampage through the ships, blowing them all up at will?" Quai Gon asked, sitting beside her.

"I'd need two days to figure it out. Then I would be able to pull ten people together at least and blow them up, yeah." Connan answered, smirking.

"That's not how this Jedi Council does things, Revan." Obi Wan insisted.

"That's now how the last Jedi Council did it, either." Connan countered. "But don't you see how stupid this is? We waltzed in here with our _Jedi _clothes on. They're not going to look at us and think that we just killed three Jedi and took it from them."

"Jedi are keepers of the peace." Quai Gon argued civilly, crossing his arms and sitting back.

"But they're also defenders. That means that Jedi have to defend people. Who needs defending? Naboo. Who just so happens to be leading the blockade for the planet in question? This ship." Connan explained.

"So, if things go like you expect, you'll get what you want in the end. So why gripe about the waiting?" Obi Wan asked. Connan smiled.

"Good question."

There was an awkward silence. Connan pulled out her datapad on her HK-47 droid and began studying it.

According to this datapad, her HK-47 had disappeared on a mission to assassinate General Seevupleh on Naboo, almost four thousand years ago. That was convenient. It never said if he was successful in his attempt or not.

"Will we have time to be on the planet itself?" Connan asked, breaking the silence.

"Probably, the way I sense things." Obi Wan answered, gazing out the window.

"Good. There's something I want to look for." Connan smiled inwardly.

"Master," Obi Wan said to Quai Gon. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Well, if I had ten credits for every time I've heard that I'd be _filthy _rich." Connan answered. She was ignored.

"I don't sense anything." Quai Gon raised an eyebrow.

"It's not about the mission, Master." Obi Wan simplified. "It's something… elsewhere, elusive."

Connan sputtered. "Thinking like that won't do you any good."

"Don't center on your anxieties, Obi Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs." Quai Gon ordered.

"Yeah, on a blockade ship full of battle droids and _droidekas_." Connan shot. Quai Gon gave her a nasty look. Connan shrugged and continued on her datapad.

"But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future." Obi Wan pushed.

"Not when you have a task as hopeless as this one." Connan chided, smiling.

"Not at the expense of the moment," Quai Gon suavely brushed his hand through the air. Connan stifled back a laugh. "Be mindful of the living Force, young Padawan."

"Yes, Master." Obi Wan nodded his head.

"If I had ten credits for how many time I heard that I'd be richer than any Hutt." Connan commented.

"How do you think this trade viceroy will deal with the chancellor's demands?" Obi Wan grinned, eyeing Connan, who looked up, fire in her eyes.

"Has _no one _been paying attention to me?" She asked, a little agitated.

"These Federation types are cowards. The negotiations will be short." Quai Gon answered. Connan nodded, still a little hot.

"I'm sure,"

The TC-14 droid came back into the room, holding a tray of drinks.

"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi Wan asked impatiently.

"My, my, aren't you a little pushy today?" Connan grinned. "Still, there's a lot of fear on this ship."

"True," Quai Gon agreed. He took one of the drinks off of the tray. "Too much for something as trivial as a trade dispute." Connan nodded slowly.

Connan's Force Precognition threw itself into effect. Her eyes glazed over and she leaned back in her chair as the force of the vision threw her backward.

"Revan?" Obi Wan asked. "Are you okay?"

Connan wasn't listening. She saw the bridge of the ship, where two aliens stood in front of a hologram. The hologram was tall, and had a black robe on over his head. She gasped, like all the air had been pushed out of her.

The hologram was a Sith Lord.

"**This scheme of yours has failed, Lord Sidious." **One of the aliens pushed his hands together pleadingly. **"The blockade is over. We dare not go against these Jedi."**

"**Viceroy, I don't want this stunted slime in my sight again." **Barked the hologram, Lord Sidious. His voice cut through Connan harshly, as if a rusty blade struck through her gut.

One of the aliens turned and left, bowing. Lord Sidious continued.

"**This turn of events is unfortunate. We must accelerate out plans. Begin landing your troops." **Troops? What troops? Connan had seen nothing of any troops on this ship. They were planning to take over Naboo. The alien still talking to Sidious blanched.

"**My lord, is that legal?"**

"**I will make it legal."**

"**And the Jedi?"** Connan felt a beat of sweat pour down her forehead.

"**The chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately." **Lord Sidious smiled cunningly, and stared at Connan. Right into her eyes.

Connan was thrown from her seat as she returned to reality. She landed on the floor, coughing.

"Revan!" Obi Wan stood, pulling her up from the ground. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I—uh," She remembered the last thing the Sith Lord said. "Hold your breath." She ordered.

"What?" Quai Gon asked, placing a comforting hand on Connan's shoulder.

"Hurry, hold your breath!" Connan repeated.

She felt the ship they came in on blow to pieces and the two inhabitants on it become one with the Force. It caused her to open one of her lightsabers, as the other two did.

TC-14 dropped her tray, crying out.

"Oh, my!"

Gas filled the room through vent both on the ceiling and on the floor. Connan stood from the chair, drawing in a Force Breath and slowing down her circulation, allowing her breath to last longer.

"Dioxis. I guess Revan was right." Quai Gon said as he quickly covered his mouth. "Stay quiet."

Connan's two lightsabers entered her hands and she waited for instruction. The blast doors opened and twenty battle droids stood in the doorway. She stood still, using the dioxis that surrounded her as cover. She heard the service droid walk out of the room, followed by her interjections.

"Oh, excuse me!" She cried.

"Make sure they're dead." One battle droid squeaked.

"Roger, roger." Said another. They walked into the room. Obi Wan and Quai Gon let their lightsabers go.

"Uh-oh. Blast them." The machines ordered.

Connan struck, unsheathing her sabers and plowing through the droids like paper. Obi Wan and Quai Gon fought their way to the front of the room.

"Those things were pushovers!" Connan griped as she killed the last one. "HK would be insulted to see them."

"Get to the bridge. If we take over the ship the others will have to surrender, too." Obi Wan ordered. Connan nodded. They ran straight through the ship, to the other side.

"When we came in the bridge was open. It was right here." Quai Gon pointed in front of them, which had closed blast doors.

"You get to work on opening those doors; we'll fend off the pushovers." Connan commanded, rushing to a new batch of machines. Obi Wan joined her. Quai Gon drove his lightsaber into the blast doors, watching the steel around his saber to melt.

"So what are you going to look for on Naboo?" Obi Wan asked as he tore through another droid.

"I was hoping to find an old friend. A _very _old friend." Connan hit the last pushover droid and sent her lightsabers back into her bag. She scowled, changing the subject. "Why wouldn't they let Æliesha come with us? She's a good dog."

"Because the viceroys don't like dogs," Quai Gon answered, pulling his lightsaber out of the door. His look of surprise was quickly exchanged by a frustrated one. "They've closed another set of blast doors. Hold a moment." He hurled his lightsaber into the door, until only the hilt was seen.

Connan grunted in interest, watching Quai Gon as he melted through two sets of thick doors. Her thoughts were interrupted by Obi Wan's cry.

"Master, Destroyers!" He cried, letting his lightsabers come out. Connan flipped around, eyeing the new machines.

The beetle-like droids rolled up to them and stood on four small sticks that were used for feet. They could have been pretty easy targets if they didn't have the shields they'd activated as soon as opening. Connan opened her sabers just as the two droids began firing at them. The constant barrage of shots was both pleasing and surprising to Connan. She had to work to keep each blaster shot from getting either behind her or on her, yet the ferocity of the attacks was almost scary.

Some of the weight was lifted off Connan as Quai Gon abandoned his task to help her and Obi Wan.

"It's a stand-off." He said. "Let's go." He began running for the hangar.

"Go on, Paddy," Connan gestured for Obi Wan to follow first. He happily obliged. Connan was right on his tail, blocking blaster shots left and right.

"Wait!" Connan called. The other two stopped. "Let's go this way." She opened up a ventilation shaft next to her. "It's a lot safer."

"Alright. We need to find the hangar." Quai Gon insisted. They pulled themselves into the shaft.

In the hangar the trio observed many of the pushover droids being loaded onto four huge ships, resembling the Sand Crawlers of Tatooine. Connan groaned.

"There's _thousands _of the pushover droids here!" She whined. "What are we supposed to do about this?"

"Battle droids. It's an invasion army." Obi Wan observed, squinting his eyebrows.

"How odd for a Federation," Connan chided, rubbing her chin.

"We've to warn Naboo, and contact Chancellor Valorum." Quai Gon ordered. "Let's split up. Stow aboard separate ships and meet down on the planet." Connan and Obi Wan nodded simultaneously.

"I get the farthest one away." Connan ordered. Obi Wan chuckled.

"You were right about one thing, Master." He whispered. "The negotiations _were_ short."

Connan glowered.

-----

Connan stumbled from the tank wearily. If that thing wasn't the bumpiest rider she'd ever been on, her insides would have been totally used to the jumping sensation they felt. Everything inside of her was vibrating. It didn't help, still, that she was running for her life alongside Quai Gon. The tanks began firing at trees in the forest they landed in and bulldozing over wildlife. Animals ran left and right.

Except for one animal.

To Connan, it looked like a Gungan. He had a fish-like head, burnt orange, and two long, flimsy, almost lekku-like headtails on the back of his head. He was standing amidst all the running—_smart—_animals and holding his head like he had no clue of his whereabouts.

"Get out of the way!" Quai Gon called, waving his hands in front of himself. He tackled the Gungan.

"Quai Gon!" Connan scolded. "The tank's right behind us!" She dove after him, feeling the steel of the brown ship gently breeze across her.

"Don't move," Quai Gon whispered, though whether it was for the Gungan or Connan was beyond her.

The tank left and Connan stood, pulling Quai Gon up with her.

"You idiot! You almost died! Don't you dare do that again!" She scorned, hugging him tightly. Quai Gon laughed, returning the gesture.

"Was'n dat?" The Gungan noticed Quai Gon and Connan walking away. "Hey, wait!"

"Oh, mooie-mooie! I love yousa!" He called to the two. Connan scowled.

"You almost got us killed, are you brainless?" Quai Gon asked.

"I spake." The Gungan insisted, crossing his arms.

"The ability to speak—however fragmented—doesn't make you intelligent." Connan countered.

"Now get out of here." Quai Gon finished, waving his hand in the other direction.

"No, no. Mesa stay. Mesa culled Jar Jar Binks. Mesa you humble servant." Jar Jar was getting under Connan's skin.

"You really think this is the time for introductions?" Connan asked, holding a hand above her eyes to block out the sun.

"That won't be necessary." Quai Gon ordered. Connan agreed whole-heartedly.

"Oh, bit it 'tis. 'Tis demanded by the gods it 'tis." Jar Jar explained. Connan groaned.

"It's a life-debt. Great."

"_Æliesha won't like this…."_

Blaster shots sent the Gungan into a frenzied panic. Two sensor droids were firing at a running Obi Wan.

"Stay down!" Quai Gon ordered. Connan shoved Jar Jar on the ground.

Quai Gon took out his lightsaber and deflected the blaster shots to protect Jar-Jar. This destroyed the first two. Connan held her hand in the air and stopped the third one in its tracks, and flung it against a tree.

"Thanks," Obi Wan panted once Connan returned to them. "We should get going."

"Yeah, let's go." Connan nodded.

Jar-Jar stood and shook his head, making buzzing noises as his head swung.

"Ooh! You save my again!" He said, following the three Jedi.

"Look, Gungan. Stop following us. We have to get to the Queen of Naboo." Connan ordered.

"What's this?" Obi Wan asked, stopping.

"A local." Connan answered, bile in her mouth.

"Let's get out of here before more droids show up." Quai Gon ordered. He started walking again.

"More?" Jar Jar repeated. Connan giggled. "'More' did you spake?"

He still followed the three Jedi.

"Ex-squeeze-me, but the mostest safest place would be Gunga City." Jar Jar suggested, holding up a finger. "Is where I grew. 'Tis a hidden city."

The Jedi stopped in their tracks again and stared at the Gungan.

"A city?" Quai Gon asked. Jar Jar nodded.

"Can you take us there?" Connan asked, too. Jar Jar blanched, backing up.

"On second thought, no. Not really, no." He shook his hands in front of his face. Connan growled.

"No?" She repeated.

"T'is embarrassing. But, uh, my afraid my've been banished." Jar Jar spoke quietly. Connan turned around, trying to hold in the laughter. Jar Jar went on. "My forgotten. Da bosses do terrible tings to me. _Terrible _things to me if me goen back dare."

"You hear that?" Connan spun around again, pointing outward. The small rumbling sounds in the background were getting slowly louder.

"Yah." Jar Jar held up one of his headtails so he could hear well.

"That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way." Quai Gon joined in, making his voice sound threatening. Obi Wan smirked, finishing the thought.

"If they find us, they're crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion." He got closer to the Gungan. Connan smirked.

"But," She shrugged. "If you won't take us there, we'll just have to go somewhere else. Have fun with your terror."

"Wait!" Jar Jar called. "Yousa point is well seen." He pointed to his left. "Dis way." He spun around one-hundred eighty degrees and walked to his right. "Hurry!"

-----

It was a swamp.

Connan didn't take too kindly to getting her robes all wet. They get sticky and gooey and messy, and they'll even shrink a bit if sun dried.

"How much further?" Quai Gon sounded just as impatient as Connan was.

"Wesa goen underwater, okeyday?" Jar Jar told. "Ah, my warning you. Gungans no liken outsiders, so don't spect a warm welcome."

"Oh, don't worry," Connan chided. Obi Wan finished her thought absentmindedly.

"This isn't our day for warm welcomes." She smirked at him.

The Gungan flew into the air, shouting at the top of his lungs before diving under the water. Connan shrugged, taking in a deep breath and once again initiating her Force Breath to slow down the circulation. Obi Wan and Quai Gon slipped on underwater breathers. They slowly walked into the water.

Jar Jar popped his head out of the water and talked one last time.

"Yousa follow me now, okeyday?" He slipped back into the watery depths.

The swim wasn't really that long, since the three could use the Force to jettison themselves along and keep up with the Gungan, who could have won any swimming races challenged to him.

The underwater city was full of bright orange bubbles, with the cities inside the bubbles. Connan and Obi Wan exchanged glances. Jar Jar was heading for the biggest bubble in the center. He walked through the bubble, planting his feet firmly on solid ground. Connan followed suit. She was soaking wet in her Jedi robes and a little breathless, but other than that unharmed.

"So good bien home!" Jar Jar commented. Various gasps and murmurs broke out through the halls as Gungans watched Jar Jar stretch. He sauntered out into the opening and hummed slightly to himself.

A strange animal resembling a ronto ran up to Jar Jar, with another Gungan on top of it.

"Hey, yousa!" The guard shouted. "Stoppa dare!"

"Heyo-dales, Cap'n Tarpals." Jar Jar waved sheepishly. "Mesa back!" He shrugged.

"Noah gain, Jar Jar. Yousa goen tada bosses. Yousa in big dudu dis time!" Tarpals answered. Jar Jar groaned. One of the other guards came up and shocked Jar Jar with their stick for fun. He squealed in surprise.

"How wude."

Connan sighed, rolling her eyes.

"_It's going to be one of those days…."_

-----

**There you go! I started out with the actual episode now! I want to thank Angela for her wonderful review of my story. The rant was hilarious; I had to show it to my mom. She _totally _agrees with you in all aspects. **

**So I'll probably either work on Choices No One Should Make or Just Like Me next. Please review!**


	4. The Planet Core

**Chapter Four: The Planet Core**

Connan rolled her eyes at the relatively _large _Gungan sitting on the throne in front of her. He wore a cone-hat with green spirals around it and the largest, fungus-colored robes she had ever seen. His 'tsked' the group of Jedi, spewing spit in all directions with his large mouth.

"Tkk-tkk-tkk-tkk-tkk-tkk-tkk! Yousa cannot bees hair!" He scolded. Connan crossed her arms, glaring at the Gungan. Quai Gon placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly, telling her to ease up.

"I'll handle this, Revan," He murmured. She scoffed, nodding all the same.

"I'll believe it when I see it," She said so no one could hear. "And call me Connan." The Gungan went on.

"Dis army of Mackineeks up dare is new weesong." The Gungan—Boss Nass—sputtered. Connan leaned over to Obi Wan, who stood stiffly on her right.

"You want to explain that one to me?" She asked. She received a push from his elbow.

"I don't know either." He muttered.

"A droid army is about to attack the Naboo. We must warn them." Quai Gon defended himself and the other two Jedi quietly arguing about what the Boss Nass just said. The Boss Nass pointed at Quai Gon.

"Wesa no like da Naboo. Tkk-tkk-tkk-tkk-tkk." He told. "Da Naboo tink day so smarty. Day tink day brains so big."

"One of my friends is—was—from Naboo!" Connan argued, smiling at the thought of Bastila. "And her brain wasn't the biggest I've ever seen."

"What she means is," Obi Wan glared menacingly at Connan. "Once the droids take control of the surface, they will take control of you."

"Mesa no tink so. Day not know of uss-en." The Boss Nass shoved his finger into his chest.

"But the Naboo do." Connan countered.

"You and the Naboo form a symbiotic circle." Obi Wan backed her up. "What happens to one of you will affect the other; you must understand this."

"Wesa no carrrre-nn about da Naboo." The Boss Nass shook his head and spit saliva onto everyone in front of him. Connan groaned, stepping backward and into Quai Gon, who held her shoulders. He sighed, brushing a hand through the air.

"Then speed us on our way."

"Wesa gonna speed yous away." The leader Gungan agreed. Connan grinned.

"We could use a transport." She chided, swinging her right hand in the same motion.

"Wesa give yousa una Bongo." Connan's ears perked as she heard Jar Jar "Hmm?" to himself in shock. "Da speediest way to da Naboo 'tis goen through the planet core." The Boss Nass chuckled to himself, putting Connan on-edge.

"Now…go." The Boss Nass waved his hand, signifying they were free to leave.

"Thank you for your help, we leave in peace." Quai Gon bowed and left.

Connan nodded her head and spun around, heading to the exit.

"What's a Bongo?" She and Obi Wan asked simultaneously. They glowered at each other.

"A transport, I hope." Quai Gon answered, smirking.

Jar Jar lurched forward, getting stopped by the two guards at his sides.

"Daysa setten yousa up." He warned. "Goen through da planet core? Bad bombin'." Quai Gon kept walking. "Mmm… any help here would be hot."

This time Quai Gon turned to the Gungan, examining him.

"Master we're short on time." Obi Wan pushed.

"But he _did _get us here and to a faster transport than _walking_." Connan sided with Jar Jar.

"We'll need a navigator to get us through the planet's core. This Gungan may be of help." Quai Gon agreed with Connan.

"HK is gonna kill me when I find him; he hates Gungans." Connan turned to the Boss Nass again. "What are you going to do to Jar Jar?"

"Hisen soon to be… pune-ished." The Boss Nass grinned. Jar Jar moaned.

"I saved his life." Quai Gon. "He owes me what you would call a 'life-debt'. Your gods demand that his life now belongs to me."

"Binksssss." Hissed the Boss Nass. "Yousa havena lifeplay with thisen hisen?"

Jar Jar was wise enough not to argue and nodded, murmuring his acknowledgement.

The Boss Nass blubbered angrily, once again spitting saliva everywhere. Connan squealed and hid behind Quai Gon, bracing against his back.

"I _hate _Gungan spit!" She groaned. Quai Gon laughed.

"Begone with him!" The Boss Nass ordered. Quai Gon bowed and left, Connan following him. The guards unhooked Jar Jar.

"Count me outta dis one. Better dead here, dan dead in da core." He murmured. Connan growled. "Yee gods! What mesa saying?"

Connan, shaking her head, caught up with Quai Gon and stood beside him, a smile streaking across her face.

"So," She nudged him playfully. "If I saved your life, would it belong to me?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, chuckling.

"That depends on what you save me from."

-----

The Bongo was a big blue underwater submarine with tails in the back of the propeller to speed them along quicker. It shot out of the main hold of Gunga City and into the underground darkness.

"Dis is nutsen." Jar Jar argued. He spun his head around to the window and pointed absentmindedly. "Ooh! Gooberfish!"

"So, my little Gungan friend," Connan started off. "Why were you banished?"

"It's a long-o tale-o." Jar Jar began. "Buta small part of it would be mesa… clumsy."

"Clumsy?" Obi Wan repeated. "You were banished because you were clumsy?"

"What, did you spill spitting potion all over the Boss Nass back there?" Connan giggled at her own joke, but Quai Gon shook his head.

"Yousa might'n be sayin dat." Jar Jar shrugged. Connan placed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Jar Jar went on.

"Mesa caused mabbe one two-y lettle bitty axadentes, huh?" The Gungan glanced at everyone in the Bongo. Connan shivered uneasily, wiping cold sweat off of her brow. "Yud-say boon da gassar, den crashing der bosses' heyblibber, den banished."

"What did he say?" Connan sputtered to Quai Gon. He faced her.

"Are you okay?" He ignored her question and held a hand up to her forehead. She brushed it away gently.

"I'm fine. I just don't like water that much." She answered.

As the Bongo drove along under the water, the feeling of danger swept over her as she sensed something following them. Her Force Precognition kicked in briefly, showing her an enormous fish right behind them. She gasped.

"What?" Obi Wan looked back from the controls.

"Big Gooberfish!" Connan warned, looking back. "Drive!"

It was too late. The Gooberfish's tongue struck the back of the Bongo and stopped it. Quai Gon looked back, his eyes widening at the sight of the fish.

"Wuh-oh!" Jar Jar freaked out. The Gooberfish pulled in its tongue and bit onto the Bongo. "Big Gooberfish! Huge-o teeth!"

Obi Wan fought for control of the Bongo as Connan tried to shout out advice.

"Back up as fast as you can and surprise it, and then rush free! No, no, not like that! That button right there is to open the hatch, you'll kill us all! Hit _that _button! The one with the big red letters saying 'REVERSE'! You didn't hit it! Do you even know what you're doing?"

"Connan, shut up!" Obi Wan shouted. Connan growled.

"Okay, but it's not my fault if we're soon inside a Gooberfish's stomach." She shrugged.

Quai Gon watched as another fish came out and bit onto the huge Gooberfish so it let go of their ship. He turned around, sighing.

"There's always a bigger fish."

"Mesa tink we goen back now!" Jar Jar pleaded.

"Go back? Why would we do that? We just conquered our first Gooberfish!" Connan smacked Jar Jar on the back, who laughed nervously.

Obi Wan drove the Bongo into a tunnel going deeper into the planet.

For a long time, everyone sat in silence, watching Obi Wan drive. Connan leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, trying to hold Carth's profile in her mind. It had been a good few weeks since her arrival in the future, and the absence of Carth made it all the worse. She wanted to get back to him and tell his all about the future, inform him of the war she participated in, and the Gungan city under Naboo.

But if she returned to the past, when would it be? If Connan spent a year in the future, would she return a year later in the past, when the _Ebon Hawk _wasn't on Korriban and Carth thought her dead?

It was Jar Jar who broke Connan out of her horrible theories.

"Where wesa goin?" He asked.

"Don't worry, the Force will guide us." Quai Gon recited. Connan rolled her eyes.

"Ohh, maxi big, da Force." Jar Jar's tone was sarcastic, and made Connan laugh.

"Jar Jar just made points!" She giggled.

"Well, dat smells stinkowiff." He added.

An alarm blared and two lights flashed, bouncing off of Obi Wan's face as he glanced at the problem.

"We're losing power." He said. Connan nodded.

"Oh, no." Jar Jar slumped in his chair. Connan glared at him.

"I'm switching the wires around back here." She informed, pulling a panel loose and cutting wires apart.

"Do you know how to reconstruct this thing?" Quai Gon asked.

"It's basically the same layout as a Banshee." Connan shrugged. "It can't be that hard."

"Wesa dyin' here!" Jar Jar sobbed.

"Just relax, we're not in trouble yet." Quai Gon said in a soothing tone. Connan shocked herself on a loose cable as she hooked it up to another one.

"What 'yet'?" Jar Jar snapped. "Monsters out dare, leak'n in here. All sink'n and no power? Whena yousa tinkin wesa in trouble?"

"I've rerouted the power loss to the firepower and the entertainment box. You should be able to start it up now." Connan informed Obi Wan. He slapped two cables together and produced a spark, followed by light.

"Oh, the power's back." He grinned. The lights turned on and the four stared a giant eel in the face.

"Ahh! Monster's back!" Jar Jar screamed, jumping backward and landing on Connan. She sputtered and threw him into the front seat.

Obi Wan sped past the eel, trying to out-maneuver it. It sped after them. Jar Jar was having a nervous breakdown, whimpering and flailing his arms about.

"Relax," Quai Gon insisted, pressing the Gungan's shoulder at his power point. Jar Jar went unconscious.

"You over did it. He's totally out of it." Connan shook the Gungan, getting blubbers and a limp tongue from him.

The eel still chased after the ship, biting and snapping at their tail, trying to get a hold of them. Obi Wan reached the opening of the tunnel and encountered another large fish trying to eat them.

"Pull up!" Connan ordered. Obi Wan listened, jerking the controls upward and dodging both fish. The fish at the opening bit into the eel.

Jar Jar was coming-to a little bit, mumbling things like "Horrible," to himself. Quai Gon pointed to a glimmer of light at the surface.

"Head for that outcropping."

-----

The Bongo pulled up to the surface and opened up its hatch, letting fresh air come in. Obi Wan stood up.

"Hmmm, dis'n lovely." Jar Jar complimented.

"This is Naboo, all right." Obi Wan said, glancing around. "But everything's deserted."

Connan examined all the colorful buildings and small huts for any sign of life, but everything was locked shut.

"They're being held captive." She deduced. "We're too late."

"So what's our next move?" Obi Wan questioned.

"Get the Queen out." Quai Gon guided the Bongo to the land and they hopped onto solid ground.

"My favorite way!" Connan checked her lightsabers for any malfunctions. "Let's go."

They found the Queen and her handmaidens being escorted by the battle droids. Connan and the others stood high above them, out of the sensor range.

Connan gawked at the size of the queen. She couldn't have been more then thirteen! Her black, feathered dress and pale face made her seem older, but this queen was only a child.

Connan glanced at the other two Jedi, who were in the process of taking out their lightsabers. She nodded, following suit.

The three Jedi jumped down from the walkway above the battle droids, taking out their lightsabers and crushing the droids easily.

"We should leave the street, Your Highness," Quai Gon insisted.

"Get their weapons." Insisted the main guard. The others around him retrieved the droid's weapons.

Connan frowned. Something was wrong.

"Where's Jar Jar?" She asked. Jar Jar fell off of the walkway, moaning.

"Whoa!" He sputtered. "Yousa guys bombad!"

Out of the street and in a safer spot, Connan addressed who they were.

"We're ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor." She nodded.

"Your negotiations seemed to have failed, Ambassador." Said the tall, bearded man standing protectively in front of the Queen.

"The negotiations never took place." Quai Gon stopped Connan from shooting back an insulting remark. "It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic."

"They've knocked out all of our communications." The head guard replied.

"Any transport?" Connan asked.

"In the main hangar, this way." The guard pointed in the correct direction.

As they passed through the palace Connan stopped, feeling a familiar vibration in her Force Sense. She glanced at Quai Gon, who was staring at her with concern. She threw her arm at him.

"You go, get the Queen to the ship, and wait for me there! I've got to find something." She ran off before he could protest.

Connan tuned in her Force, pinpointing the exact location of the thing she was looking for. It was in a closet, right in the front as if it had just been put in. It was shut off, of course, and its red armor was probably very dusty and a little rusted, but it was alive nonetheless. HK-47 resided in the palace, sending out a very small vibration to his master, waiting for her to find him.

She opened the door to the throne room and tore across is in amazing speed. The closet was on the other side of the room, standing like a black, dead_ thing _in the way. Connan drove her lightsaber into it, hearing it crackle and sizzle. It melted down into nothing.

There he stood, his head tucked neatly into his chest and his arms in battle-ready positions, HK-47 looked almost just like he had the day she built him. He had no external problems and she could sense no internal ones. She flicked the back of his neck and his eyes lit up, a bright yellow color.

"HK-47, comply." She stuttered. The droid sprang to life.

"Acknowledgement: HK-47, reporting for duty!" He saluted, staring at his master. "Surprised observation: Master! How delightful to see you again!"

"Run a diagnostic test on yourself, H, and hurry." Connan instructed.

"Acknowledgement: Yes, Master, starting diagnostic. Query: May I ask why the urgency is needed, Master?"

"We're in the Naboo palace four thousand years in the future and we're surrounded by battle droids outside the room. We've got to get to the main hangar." Connan answered.

"Excited interjection: Ooh, goody! I do love a good fight! Indulgement: Master, I have finished the diagnostic. My battery is severely low and won't last more than a few standard minutes. Anguished statement: I _do _hate parting from you again, Master, but unless you know the whole way to the main hangar, I won't last long enough to get there."

"I don't know the whole way, H, but I know the gist of it. Here, take these. They're newer." She lobbed him two blasters. "Let's get moving."

She and HK-47 made it to the hangar as Quai Gon began slapping down machines with his lightsaber. He caught sight of her.

"We're going to get onto that ship, Connan!" He called to her. She nodded.

"Let's get moving H." She shrugged.

No reply.

"HK?" Still nothing. She looked behind her. HK was standing, with his eyes growing dimmer. "Oh, don't give up on me now, HK." He wasn't answering. "HK-47, answer me now or I'm giving you a room with the Gungan!"

"Statement: I'm…trying…Master…." The droid coughed out the words. Connan growled.

"I've got to get you onto the ship. Move your legs, you bumbling idiot! I've seen gizka who move faster to a given point than you!" The insults encouraged HK, who stepped toward the ship slowly. Connan blocked the shots coming to him. "If you don't move any faster, I'm going to set my Kath Hound on your chest!"

HK-47 began moving faster. His legs made longer strides and his pace quickened. Connan grinned at herself. HK made it onto the ship just as Quai Gon and the others did.

His battery died when the door shut behind Connan. He tumbled onto the floor and whirred off. Connan sighed, patting the scrap of metal on the chest.

"You did great, old friend. You did great." She smirked.

Quai Gon came running into her. He stared down at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"I'm fine." She said, standing herself and HK-47 up. She took out a new battery pack from her backpack. "Just need to turn him on again…." She turned the battery on as quickly as she'd placed it into his chest and HK-47 was alive again.

"Statement: Master, there's someone behind you!" HK held up his blasters warningly.

"Stand down, H. He's a friend. I order you not to attack anyone on this ship. That _includes _the Gungan." Connan specified, grumbling.

"Surprised interjection: Gungan! Query: Master, you weren't fooling when you said that there was a Gungan on board?"

"No, I wasn't. Now go to the tech bay and stay there. Later you can tell me how you lasted four thousand years without turning to dust." Connan waved the droid off, who turned and left.

"Friend of yours?" Quai Gon asked. Connan smiled.

"One of the best."

Connan and Quai Gon rushed to the cockpit, overlooking the blockade ships try and attack their ship.

"Where's the Queen?" Connan asked.

"She's setting up her chambers as we speak." Said the pilot. The ship shook and an alarm went off. "The shield generator's been hit! We're now deploying droids to fix it."

Connan kept watch over the droids as they one-by-one were blasted into oblivion.

"We're losing droids, fast." Obi Wan stated the obvious.

"If we can't get the shield generator fixed, we'll be sitting ducks." The head guard commented.

"What about that one? He's doing remarkably well." Connan pointed her index finger at the last blue droid attempting to fix the shields.

"The shields are gone." The pilot reported. He took a second glance at the page and gawked. "Wait, it's back! That little droid did it! He bypassed the main power drive! Deflector shields up at maximum."

"There isn't enough power to get to Coruscant." Connan said, examining the power leakage. "The hyperdrive is leaking. Far beyond anything I can fix."

"We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship." Quai Gon crossed his arms.

"Here, Master." Obi Wan pointed. "Tatooine."

"Tatooine?" Connan stared at it. "Well, I'll be. The only settlement is _still _Anchorhead! What a small universe!"

"It's small, out of the way, poor." Obi Wan went on. "The Trade Federation has no presence there."

"How can you be sure?" The head guard asked.

"If it's anything like it used to be," Connan answered. "It's controlled by the Hutts."

"You can't take her Royal Highness there! The Hutts are gangsters. If they discover her—"

"It would be no different than if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation." Quai Gon countered.

"Except the Hutts aren't looking for her." Connan chided.

"And that gives us the advantage." Quai Gon patted her shoulder.

Another vision hit Connan squarely in the chest and knocked her onto the floor. She saw the same Sith Lord, in hologram form, in front of the viceroys.

"**Not for a Sith." **He finished saying. Connan raised an eyebrow. Another holographic, black-robed person came into view. **"This is my apprentice, Darth Maul."**

Connan shivered. She could only see his face, which was covered in black and red ink. She wondered what kind of species he was.

"**He will find your lost ship." **The hologram disappeared, and Connan was thrown out of the revelation.

Quai Gon was kneeling next to her, checking her pulse, while Obi Wan had a hand covering her forehead and another on her right wrist. She gasped. Quai Gon rested the back of his right hand on her cheek, and she felt the difference in temperature. She must have been freezing, because his hand felt very, very hot. He helped her sit up and rested his knee behind her so she could lean backward.

"Are you okay?" Obi Wan asked. "That's the third time that's happened in about six hours."

"It's alright. Really," She glanced at Obi Wan and Quai Gon's disbelieving expressions. "I'm fine."

"Apparently not, since your temperature is at about 34.56 degrees Celsius." Quai Gon examined. "That's way too low."

"I just need some hot water and maybe a hot rag. It's my Force Precognition; it always seems to kick in at horrible times."

"Force Precognition?" Obi Wan asked. "No one ever has Precognition _that _powerful."

"Which is why it's such a pain. Whenever something really important happens or when someone significant either to me or in numbers dies, then it starts up and this happens. It gets annoying. Especially when you're in the middle of a Sith battle." Connan attempted to stand, only to be helped up by Quai Gon. "Now, what are we doing?"

"Come with us to the Queen's chambers." Obi Wan helped her walk. "We're going to go discuss the droid that fixed the shields."

-----

"An extremely well-put-together little droid, Your Highness." The head guard said, bowing. The dirty droid cheeped. "Without a doubt, it saved the ship, and our lives."

"It is to be commended. What is its number?" The Queen asked. Connan knelt down and wiped off the dirt from the number.

"R2-D2, Your Majesty." She answered, placing a hand on the droid.

"Thank you, R2-D2." The Queen nodded her head. The droid chirped his pleasure. Connan cleared her throat.

"If it's not too much to ask, I would like to clean up the droid, Your Highness. Droids are my specialty." She bowed her head as R2-D2 announced his agreement.

"Of course." The Queen allowed. "But please allow Padmé to assist you."

One of the handmaidens jumped forward quickly and stood next to Connan. Something was strange about the girl. She was about the same age as the Queen, yet she felt more determined somehow, more headstrong—

More majestic.

"Continue, Captain." The Queen changed the subject.

"Your Highness, with your permission, we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine." Quai Gon stepped forward. "It's in a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation."

"I don't agree with the Jedi on this." The captain argued.

"You must trust my judgment, Your Highness." Quai Gon ordered. The Queen nodded solemnly, ending the meeting.

"So, Padmé," Connan chided to the little girl. "Let's see if we can't get this small droid fixed up and pretty again, shall we?"

-----

**It only took me 3 hours to do this chapter. I think from now on I'll update this story every Sunday, unless something else is going on. It shouldn't take long at all to get through this story that way. Please review everyone!**


	5. Little Ani Skywalker

**Chapter Five: Little Ani Skywalker**

Connan growled, scrubbing a particularly rough spot on R2-D2's armor. It wasn't coming off.

"What did you do up there? Fling yourself in the way of the blaster shots?" She asked. R2 beeped his response. "Yeah, well, you'll be lucky if I can get all this off. We may have to give you new armor altogether."

R2 beeped frantically.

"Reassuring statement: Do not worry, little droid, the master knows what she's doing." HK said as he stood by the door.

"You really like this droid, don't you H?" Connan smirked at her machine.

"Answer: Yes, Master. R2-D2 has a better sense of humor than the T3-M4 droid did, and this one is a lot more aggressive."

Padmé walked into the room and started on another pile of dirt.

"This is so hard," She murmured.

"I know what you mean. We should just tear it all off." Connan joked. "Put on some new armor. Make it pink."

"Put a bow at the top." Padmé finished. The two giggled.

"Disgusted addendum: Oh, brother."

"Shut up, HK."

They sat there for a while, getting the dirt off of the front of R2's armor before they began the crevices. During that time, Jar Jar came in.

"Hello." He said. Connan and Padmé looked up at him. Padmé cocked an eyebrow.

"Sorry." Jar Jar shrugged. "Husa are yousa?"

"I'm Padmé." Padmé answered. "This is Connan, if you didn't already know." Connan nodded to the Gungan stingily.

"Mesa Jar Jar Binks." Jar Jar introduced himself. Padmé smiled.

"You're a Gungan, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh." Jar Jar answered, nodding his head and grinning stupidly.

"How'd you end up here with us?" She continued. Connan groaned, setting her head onto R2's blue top. He beeped his complaints, but didn't move his head.

"My no know." Jar Jar shrugged. "Mesa day starten pitty okeyday witda brisky morning munchen. Den boom! Getten berry scared, and grabben dat Jedi, and pow—mesa here."

Connan pulled her head up and looked groggily at HK.

"Translate that."

"Hesitant answer: Master, very well. Translation: I don't know. My day started pretty okay with a brisk morning munch—possibly meaning breakfast. Then boom! Getting very scared, and grabbing that Jedi, and pow—I'm here." HK went through the translation dully, an emotionless tone which told Connan that HK really didn't want to translate for a Gungan.

R2D2 beeped slightly. Connan nodded.

"Huh," Jar Jar went on. "Mesa getten berry, berry scared."

Connan chuckled at him and went back to work.

-----

Connan now sat in the cockpit, trying to will herself into a sleep. She just couldn't do it without Carth there, though. It didn't feel right. She shuddered, opening her eyes as Obi Wan and the pilot started to talk.

"That's it—Tatooine." The pilot explained.

"There's a settlement." Obi Wan observed.

"Land near the outskirts, we don't want to attract attention." Quai Gon ordered. Connan perked her head up.

"In the dune sea? Are you nuts? This place is probably _still _crawling with Sand People." She warned.

"It would be better than landing in Anchorhead port and having the people of Mos Eisely think we're smuggling someone somewhere." Quai Gon countered. Connan shrugged, stretching.

As they landed, Connan pulled out a dark brown poncho, a similar color to her robes, and pulled it over her head, concealing her sabers. She watched Quai Gon do the same thing with a light gray poncho.

"The hyperdrive generator's gone, Master." Obi Wan said. "We'll need a new one."

Connan growled.

"Do you know how hard it is to find those things on a _regular _planet?" She whined.

"Be wary," Quai Gon pulled Connan to the ramp. "I sense a disturbance in the Force."

"Ha! Couldn't be ol' red-and-black, could it?" Connan muttered under her breath.

"Who?" Obi Wan asked. Connan shook her head.

"No one."

"Well, I sense a disturbance, too." Obi Wan went on.

"Don't let them send any transmissions." Connan called as she left the ship.

Jar Jar, R2D2, HK-47, Quai Gon and Connan set out from the ship. Connan scowled as the sand shuffled underneath her.

"I hate sand," She griped. "It's horrible to battle on. You slip and slide everywhere."

"Would you rather we be stranded in space and waiting for the Trade Federation to come pick us up?" Quai Gon asked. Connan shrugged.

"Point taken."

"Dis sun doen murder to mesa skin!" Jar Jar whined.

"Correction: Two suns, droid. There are two suns on Tatooine."

"Wait!"

Connan and Quai Gon turned, watching the head guard and Padmé in a regular dress walk toward them.

"Wait."

"Her highness commands you take her handmaiden with her." He said.

"No more commands from Her Highness today, Captain," Quai Gon said.

"Quai Gon!" Connan scolded. "That's not nice."

"This spaceport is _not _going to be pleasant." Quai Gon argued quietly.

"The queen wishes it." The Captain tried again. Padmé and Connan exchanged glances, smiling at each other in the process. "She's curious about the planet." Quai Gon sighed.

"This is not a good idea." He admitted. "Stay close to Connan."

The Captain nodded and walked away.

"You can take care of yourself, right?" Connan asked Padmé, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "You don't need me to help you. We'll just hang out together."

"Sure." Padmé grinned.

-----

The city was almost like Connan remembered in _her _time. The buildings were in the same place, same height, same structures. Yet they had different people in them.

"Moisture farms, for the most part." Quai Gon explained. Connan scoffed.

"Yeah, I guess they don't go Dune Sea hunting anymore." She shrugged.

"There are some indigenous tribes and scavengers, though. Like the Jawas." Quai Gon pointed to a few of the small, robed figures to his right. "The few space ports like this one are perfect for those who don't wish to be found."

"Like us." Padmé finished.

"Dissen berry, berry bad…." Jar Jar mumbled as he stumbled along behind Connan. He stepped in something, producing a _squish _sound. "Oh! Icky, icky goo!"

Quai Gon turned left suddenly. "We'll try one of the smaller dealers."

The bell dinged as Connan took the first few steps into the shop. The Toydarian looked up from his work and called out.

"**Good day to you," **He said in Huttese. **"What do you want?"**

"**We want parts to a ship." **Connan answered in the same dialect.

"We need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian." Quai Gon explained further.

"Ah, yes! Nubian, we have lots of that." He snarled suddenly as he turned to the door behind him. **"Boy, get in here now!"**

Connan raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

"My droid has a readout of what I need." Quai Gon continued. The Toydarian nodded.

In ran a little boy, with a light brown shirt and lighter pants. His hair hung to his scalp closely as he stopped in front of the Toydarian.

"**What took you so long?" **The Toydarian asked. The boy scowled at him.

"**I was cleaning the fan switches."**

"**Watch the store. I've got some selling to do."**

Connan bristled. She didn't like how the alien was speaking to the poor boy.

"So, let me take thee out back, huh?" He asked, snaking an arm around Quai Gon. "Ni, you'll find what you need."

"Hey, I'm going to stay here and talk to the little guy." Connan called to Quai Gon. The boy beamed.

Quai Gon snatched a trinket out of Jar Jar's hands. The Gungan yelped in surprise.

"Don't touch _anything_." He stressed. The Gungan nodded, but as Quai Gon turned to leave he stuck his tongue out at the Jedi.

There was a silence for a moment between the three of them, when the boy spoke up.

"Are you an angel?" He asked Padmé. Connan snorted.

"What?" Padmé glanced from the boy to Connan.

"An angel. I heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe." The boy explained. Connan suppressed an "Awww!" from escaping her lips. "They live on the moons of Iego, I think."

"You're a funny little boy." Padmé grinned. "How do you know so much?"

"I listen to all the traders and star pilots that come through here." The boy started. "I'm a pilot, you know. And someday, I'm going to fly away from this place."

"Surprised addendum: I was under the impression that pilots had to be over eighteen, when this young boy is not a day over nine." HK-47 informed Connan. She nodded.

"He's in the making." She corrected her droid. He nodded, standing straight.

"You're a pilot?" Padmé asked.

"Mmm-hmm. All my life."

"How long have you been on his desolate planet?" Connan asked.

"Since I was very little. Three, I think." The boy frowned, as if trying to remember. "My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the pod races."

Connan's blood stopped running as she paled.

"You're a slave?" She and Padmé asked simultaneously. The boy became a little angry.

"I'm a person, and my name is Anakin."

"I'm sorry," Padmé went on. "I don't fully understand, this is a strange place to me."

"Hmmm? Hmmm…." Jar Jar poked one of the droids sitting in the corner and it sprang to life, knocking everything over and scaring Jar Jar. He screamed. Connan rolled her eyes.

"HK-47, will you please make that thing stop, and then make sure the Gungan doesn't touch anything else?"

"Answer: Of course, Master. It would be my pleasure."

HK picked up the droid and tapped its nose, watching it fall to the ground. Then he held a blaster to Jar Jar's head.

"Uh, not like that." Connan quickly fixed. "Just make sure he doesn't touch anything. Watch him. Don't shoot him."

The droid sighed.

"Acknowledgement: Very well, Master. I suppose you do know what's best."

HK put down the blaster and kept his eyes on Jar Jar.

"So where did you get your droid?" Anakin asked Connan. She smiled.

"I made HK-47 myself." She said.

"What does HK stand for?" Anakin asked.

"Uh—Hyper Kinetics, actually. Model number forty-seven." Connan rubbed the back of her neck.

"But why the 47?" Anakin clarified. "There's only one of him."

"Ah, it took me forty-seven tries to get it right."

Connan stayed silent until Quai Gon came storming back in. She was satisfied just by listening in on Padmé and Anakin's conversation.

"Wouldn't have lasted long anyways if I wasn't so good at building things." Anakin griped. Jar Jar stuck his tongue out at HK-47, who was snarling inwardly at the Gungan.

"We're leaving." Quai Gon snarled. Connan sighed, heading for the door.

"Bye, little Ani. Hope I see you again." She waved to him and left.

"I'm glad to have met you, Anakin," Padmé called.

"I'm glad to have met you, too!" The boy shouted after Padmé.

"What happened?" Connan asked Quai Gon.

"We need Tatooine currency; he wouldn't take the Republic credits." Quai Gon answered.

"Oh, that's not nice!" Connan snapped. "Let me at him and he'll let us have it for free. Toydarians don't like hostile situations."

"Yes, but that would call to the attention of the Hutts." Quai Gon countered.

"Fine. But my fingers are aching. Do people in this year duel for fun?" Connan asked.

"Yes. I'll show you when we get back to Coruscant."

-----

"And you're _sure _there's nothing else on board?" Quai Gon asked into the comm. link.

"A few containers of supplies." Obi Wan answered. "The Queen's wardrobe, maybe, but not enough to barter with. Not in the amount you're talking about."

"Well, this is just fine and dandy." Connan snarled.

"I'm sure another solution will present itself." Quai Gon said to both Obi Wan and Connan. "I'll check back later."

Connan started out onto the street again.

"Noah gain! Noah gain!" Jar Jar demanded. Da beings hereabouts, cawazy! Wesa be wobbed un crunched!" Quai Gon and Connan exchanged glances.

"HK, translate."

"Translation: Not again. Not again. The beings here are crazy. We will be robbed and crunched." HK said in his emotionless tone. Connan smirked.

"Not likely. We have nothing of value." Quai Gon started walking again.

"And that's our problem." Connan finished.

Connan fell back into the back, behind everyone to keep watch from the back. She didn't like Jar Jar standing behind her. It as a good thing, too, since he stopped at a shop in the bazaar and saw the chicken hanging from with feet. He grinned and cried out.

"Oh! Mooey, mooey!" He squealed. He flicked out his tongue and tried to nab it off of the string holding it. He failed. It hung from his mouth as he tried to pull it off.

"**Hey, hey! Are you going to pay for that?" **The shop owner asked in Huttese.

"Huh? _Wanga_?" Jar Jar repeated, the chicken half-hanging out of his mouth.

"**It costs seven wupiupi." **The owner clarified. Jar Jar spit it out.

Right into a Dug's food.

The Dug lunged for Jar Jar just as Connan reached into her bag for a flash mine. She attached it to her hand and ran after Jar Jar.

Jar Jar hit the floor with the four-legged spider-looking alien on top of him.

"**Is this yours?" **The Dug asked, grasping Jar Jar's throat with his feet.

"Who, mesa?" Jar Jar gagged.

"Uh-oh. Quai Gon!" Connan called. She faced the Dug. **"Hurt him and I'll blow all three of us to bits, Dug."**

"**What are you talking about?" **Asked the Dug.

"**I've got a mine stuck onto the palm of my hand. Choke him, I fall over and lay my hand on the ground. Mine blows up, we blow up."**

Actually, the flash mine would only blind the Dug while Jar Jar and Connan could escape.

Before anything could be done about it, Anakin showed up.

"**Careful, Sebulba. He's a big-time outlander. I'd hate to see you get diced before we race again." **He boasted. The was Sebulba watched Anakin made Connan place a hand on her lightsaber.

"**Next time we race, boy, it will be the end of you." **Sebulba threatened.

"That's not very nice." Connan rolled her eyes.

"**If you weren't a slave, I'd crush you now." **The Dug was walking off.

"**Yeah,"** Called Anakin. **"It'd be a pity if you had to pay for me."**

Connan dislodged the mine from her hand and quickly placed it inside her pack. Quai Gon came up behind her.

"Hi," Anakin said, smiling. Quai gon seemed to be in shock.

"Hi there," He answered.

"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. And your other friend was threatening to blow them all to pieces." Anakin grinned at Connan, who laughed sheepishly as Quai Gon glared at her.

"I put the mine back in the bag already, okay?" She said to Quai Gon, showing him her hands. "It was a flash mine, anyway. It would have only blinded him and the Gungan."

"Well, they picked a fight with a Dug." Anakin explained further. "An especially dangerous Dug named Sebulba." Quai Gon pulled Jar Jar up.

"Mesa haten crunchen. Das da last ting mesa want." Jar Jar whined.

"Yeah, but he's right." Connan said. "You were heading into trouble. Stop _touching _things."

"Thanks, my young friend." Quai Gon nodded his head to Anakin.

"But—but—" Jar Jar seemed confused. "But mesa doen nutten!"

-----

Connan stood next to Quai Gon as Anakin bought them something to eat. She glanced around.

"I don't like the look of things," She whispered to him. He nodded.

"Something's happening." He finished.

"Here, you'll like these pallies." Anakin said, handing some to Connan. She took them. "Here." Anakin gave some to Quai Gon.

"Thank you," they both said, putting the pallies in a robe pocket underneath their ponchos.

"Oh, my bones are aching." The woman who sold them the fruit said. "Storm's coming up, Ani. You'd better get home quick."

Anakin turned to Connan and Quai Gon.

"Do you have shelter?"

"We'll head back to our ship." Quai Gon answered.

"Is it far?"

"It's on the outskirts." Padmé answered.

"You'll never reach the outskirts in time! Your droids will be so full of sand they won't be able to walk." Anakin explained.

"Surprised addendum: Oh, dear, Master! Maybe we should listen."

"Sand storms are very, very dangerous." Anakin went on. "Come on, I'll take you to my place."

-----

They entered a quiet home, a small pueblo-looking house with a table in the middle and a small excuse for a kitchen. Anakin shook all the sand out of him and shivered.

"Mom, I'm home!" He called.

"Ahh," Jar Jar absentmindedly murmured. "Dissen cozy."

A woman in a blue dress and blue apron with her black hair tied behind her head came out of another doorway, wiping her hands on the apron.

"These are my friends, Mom." Anakin introduced.

"Hello." Jar Jar bowed his head.

"I'm Quai Gon Jinn, and this is Connan Frai." Quai Gon explained, shaking hands with the woman. Connan followed suit. "Your son was kind enough to offer shelter."

"Hey, I'm building a droid, too!" Anakin said. "Want to see it, Connan?"

"Of course I do!" Connan followed Padmé and Anakin into the boy's small room.

"Come on, I'll show you 3PO." The boy said, a smile in his voice.

Anakin pulled the sheet off of a half-finished droid, who had no armor on, or _shell _of any kind.

"He's not finished yet. His name is C-3PO." Anakin explained.

"He's wonderful." Padmé marveled.

"Statement: Master, is he able to turn that thing on?" HK asked, coming into the room. Anakin beamed.

"He's a protocol droid, to help Mom. Watch." Anakin pressed a button on the droid's neck and it came to life.

The droid sat up, looking around with one eye lit and the other not.

"Oh—oh my! Where is everybody?"

"Oops!" Anakin found the other eye and attached it to the droid. The droid focused on Padmé.

"Oh, hello. I am C-3PO. Human-cyborg relations. How might I serve you?"

"Hysterical laughter: Bwa ha ha ha ha!" HK laughed wholeheartedly. "Addendum: Master, he's naked!"

R2-D2 beeped his agreement.

"He's perfect." Padmé was astonished.

"Oh, perfect." Repeated the droid.

"When the storm's over, I'll show you my racer. I'm building a Podracer." Anakin said to Padmé. 3PO got up off of the table and began walking on his fragile legs. R2-D2 beeped in amusement.

"Hey!" Connan called to him. "That's not nice!"

"Oh my. I'm not sure this floor is entirely stable." 3PO told himself. Connan snorted. 3PO looked at R2-D2. "Hello, I don't believe we have been introduced." R2-D2 beeped a little more in introduction. "R2-D2. A pleasure to meet you. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations."

R2-D2 began harping, beeping, and whistling. Connan slapped a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Agreement: I agree with the R2 unit, protocol droid. You are indeed naked."

"What do you mean, 'naked'?"

R2-D2 was beeping more and more as he explained what he meant.

"My _parts_ are showing? My goodness! Oh!" Connan now had to laugh. She leaned against the wall and laughed hard.

"Look on the bright side," She told him. "At least the floor is stable."

-----

"Connan," Quai Gon called. "Obi Wan is paging us."

Connan nodded, getting up from the dinner table and heading onto the balcony with Quai Gon.

"They've sent a transmission telling the queen that her people are dying." Obi Wan explained.

"Yeah, it sounds like bait." Connan chided.

"To establish a connection trace." Quai Gon finished.

"But what if it's true, and the people _are _dying?" Obi Wan asked.

"Either way, we're running out of time." Quai Gon said.

"Check back in the morning unless we contact you first." Connan called before Quai Gon flipped off the transmitter. They sauntered back to the dinner table, sitting and smiling at Anakin, who was playing cards with Padmé.

"Sorry," Connan excused. "Had to take a call."

Connan's Precognition took her by surprise as she slipped off of the table, but Quai Gon dove under her and sat her up. Her eyes glazed over as yet another vision came to her.

The Sith Lord was walking with Darth Maul across Coruscant.

"**Tatooine is sparsely populated." **Darth Maul stated. Connan was surprised by the velvet in his voice, making all his words smooth and connected.

He sounded like a Zabrak.

"**If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly, Master."**

"**Move against the Jedi, first. Especially that 'Connan Frai'. Once you have her in custody and the other two are out of the way you will have no trouble in taking the Queen to Naboo to sign the treaty." **The Sith Lord snarled. Connan gasped. They wanted to capture her.

"**At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." **Maul stated. Sidious nodded.

"**You have been well-trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you."**

They didn't know Connan very well, did they? Connan crossed her arms and tried to spit at the men. She was thrown back from the vision.

Connan was laying on the floor with her head on Quai Gon's lap and a damp cloth on her forehead. She was sitting on a couch. She tried to sit up.

"Easy, now." Quai Gon set her back down. "That last one hit you harder than the last three. When you went down, you hit the corner of the table."

Connan groaned, feeling the pain in her temple grow into a pulsing ache.

"How long was I out?" She asked.

"A good hour. You've worried poor Anakin to death." Quai Gon chuckled. "He comes into the room every five standard minutes."

"I'm sorry." Connan apologized. "I hate this stupid Precognition."

"Yes, what did you see this time?" Quai Gon asked. Connan blanched. Quai Gon caught it. "It's something big, isn't it?"

"The Trade Federation knows we're here." No need to worry him about a Sith Lord and his apprentice. "We have about three days max until they get here."

Quai Gon sighed, resting his hand on Connan's head.

"Very well." He sighed. "Can you sit up?"

"Let me try." Connan pulled herself up, watching the world swirl around her, and leaned against the couch. After a minute the swirling stopped. "I can see now."

"Can you stand long enough to reach the table and eat something? They're having dinner right now." Quai Gon helped her stand and led her to the table.

"You're up!" Anakin stood. "Thank goodness! I was worried."

"Are you alright?" Padmé asked, pulling the seat out next to her left. On the other side sat Jar Jar, and at the front was the empty chair for Quai Gon.

"I'm fine. Go on with the conversation." She insisted. Shmi Skywalker nodded.

"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their bodies somewhere." She explained.

"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine." Anakin boasted, beaming. Connan smiled weakly at her as she took a few pallies.

"Any attempt to escape—" Shmi started.

"And they blow you up!" Anakin made an exploding noise and banged on the table.

"How wude." Jar Jar insisted.

"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy." Padmé stared at her plate. The Republic's antislavery laws—"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here. We must survive on our own." Shmi interrupted.

Jar Jar stuck his tongue out and snatched one of the pallies in the bowl up quickly. Everyone glanced at him. Connan gave him a nasty look.

"Xcuse me." He gulped.

"Has anybody ever seen a podrace?" Anakin hesitated before speaking.

"Is that the same thing as swoop racing?" Connan asked.

"Swoop racing is the old name for it, since they used swoop bikes." Anakin explained. "But this is racing with pods, which are much bigger than swoop bikes."

"They have podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous." Quai Gon answered.

"I'm the only human who can do it." Anakin bragged sheepishly.

"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods." Connan chided. About that time Jar Jar whipped his tongue out to snatch another pally. Connan and Quai Gon both seized his tongue before he could bring it back and held onto it.

"Don't do that again." They said at the same time. Jar Jar nodded and they let go.

Anakin stared at the table before speaking again.

"You two are Jedi Knights, aren't you?" He asked. Connan chuckled. Padmé glanced worriedly at her.

"Why would you think that?" She asked.

"I saw both of your laser swords." Anakin answered. "Only Jedi carry those kinds of weapons."

"Maybe we killed some Jedi, and took them from them." Quai Gon mused.

"I don't think so." Anakin battled. Connan sighed. "No one can kill a Jedi."

"Oh yeah? Tell that to Malak." Connan laughed.

"I had a dream I was a Jedi." Anakin started. "I came back here and freed all the slaves."

Connan and Quai Gon exchanged glances, knowing the next question.

"Have you come to free us?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Connan stared at her drink.

"I think you have. Why else would you be here?" The kid did have a point. No Jedi in their right mind would come here for anything. Except for a Star Map, possibly.

"I can see there's no fooling you Anakin." Quai Gon said. "We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system of the Republic, on a very important mission."

"How did you end up in the Outer Rim?" Anakin asked.

"A wrong turn and a leaky hyperdrive." Connan snarled, crossing her arms. "Remind me to tell Obi Wan that _I'm _driving next time."

"She means our ship is damaged, and we're stranded here until we can repair it." Padmé explained.

Anakin brightened. "I can help. I can fix anything!"

"Of course you can!" Connan bragged. "But first we need to get the parts we need."

"Wit no-nutten mula to trade." Jar Jar finished.

"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind." Padmé suggested.

"Gambling." Shmi answered. "Everything here revolves around those awful races."

"Podracing." Quai Gon murmured.

"Greed can be a powerful ally." Connan said.

"I built a racer. It's the fastest ever." Anakin pointed out. "There's a big race tomorrow on Boonta Eve. You could enter my pod."

"Anakin!" Shmi scolded. "Watto won't let you."

"Watto doesn't know I've built it!" Anakin countered. He pointed to Connan. "You could make him think it was yours and get him to let me pilot it for you."

"I don't want you to race. It's awful. I die every time Watto makes you do it." Shmi argued.

Connan glanced at Anakin with interest.

"But Mom, I love it." The boy sighed. "The prize money would more than pay for the parts they need."

"Anakin." His mother stressed.

"Your mother's right," Quai Gon insisted. "Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?"

"No." Shmi answered.

"Mom, you say the biggest problem in this universe is nobody helps each other." Anakin tried again.

"I'm sure Quai Gon doesn't want to put Ani in danger." Padmé explained. "We'll find some other way."

"No." Shmi said again. "There is no other way. I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you."

"So you're going to let me race?" Anakin asked. His mom nodded. "Alright! Tomorrow we'll go and set up the pod."

-----

**Twenty pages folks! I'm on chapter seventeen and I've gone through 44 minutes and 15 seconds. Please review.**

**To Angela again: I'm sorry, but I can't mess with the plot so much as to not put them together. There'd be no Luke and Leia and Leia's awesome like that so I want to keep her and Padmé has to die and all that. I wish I could change it, but I have to keep it the same in this story. I'm sorry. **

**Please review!**


	6. Bets and Pod Races

**Bets and Pod Races**

Connan and the others walked into Watto's shop the next day, set with a purpose.

"Did you break the news to Obi Wan that we're betting everything on a little boy?" Connan mused to Quai Gon. He smirked.

"Not yet. I'll tell him just at the point where he can't make us back out." The Jedi answered. Connan laughed.

"I'll have to see this."

Padmé stopped behind them.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked, her voice crisp and sharp. "Testing our fate to a boy we hardly know?"

Quai Gon looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. Connan crossed her arms. Padmé went on. "The Queen will not approve."

"Well, the Queen doesn't need to know." Connan chided. She felt a wave of anger wash over Padmé as she slumped down into a seat outside next to Jar Jar.

"Well, I don't approve." She pouted. Connan sheepishly shrugged, following Quai Gon inside the shop.

A bell rang as Connan stepped into the shop and Watto came to meet them.

"The boy tells me you want to sponsor him in the race." The Toydarian stated.

"You must have exceptional hearing skills." Connan murmured. Quai Gon elbowed her. Watto went on.

"How can you do this? Not on Republic credits, I hope, eh?" Watto chuckled. Quai Gon pulled out a round datapad and turned it on. Their Nubian ship appeared.

"My ship will be the entry fee." Quai Gon said plainly. Connan watched Anakin's face widen in shock as he studied the layout of the ship. Watto was impressed, too.

"Oh! Not bad! Huh? A Nubian, huh?" Watto rubbed his chin.

"It's in good order, except for the parts we need." Connan observed. Quai Gon put the datapad away.

"What would the boy ride, eh?" Watto asked, smirking. "He smashed up my pod in the last race. It will take some long time to fix it."

"It wasn't my fault, really. Sebulba flashed me with his vents." Anakin excused. Connan scowled. "I actually saved the pod….mostly." Connan chuckled.

"Ah, that you did, huh?" Watto waved a finger at the boy. "The boy's good, no doubts there, huh?"

"See, we happen to have come across a pod in a game of chance, the fastest ever built." Connan explained.

"I hope you didn't kill anyone I know to get it, huh?" Watto chided. Connan slapped her cheeks.

"Please, do I look like the blood-thirsty type? Don't answer that." She mused, grinning.

"So," Watto continued. "You supply the pod and the entry fee, I supply the boy. We split the winnings, um 50-50, I thin, uh?"

"If it's going to be 50-50, then I suggest you front the cash for the entry fee." Quai Gon stated, walking in circles around the Toydarian. "If we win, you keep all the winning, minus the cost for the parts we need. And if we lose, you keep my ship."

Connan blanched. She grabbed Quai Gon's arm and whispered in his ear.

"Now hold on, big-pockets!" She hissed. "What are you doing? We could be shipless! I don't know about you, but I think it's _really _hard to walk from here to Coruscant."

She was ignored. "Either way," Quai Gon finished. "You win." Connan fumed silently, turning red and crossing her arms.

Watto rubbed his chin, grumbling to himself. Connan, Quai Gon, and Anakin exchanged glances momentarily. The Toydarian smirked.

"Deal!" He slapped Quai Gon's outstretched hand. Connan groaned. Quai Gon flashed a grin at Anakin before leaving.

"Do you just _love _throwing away perfectly good money?" She moaned to Quai Gon outside. "The _ship_! That's one hell of a ship, and you're betting it on the races! Why don't you just turn into a Toydarian and open up a shop next to your good ol' buddy Watto's shop?"

"I'll take that last statement as a poke at sarcasm." Quai Gon stayed emotionless.

-----

"What if this plan fails, Master?" Obi Wan supposed. "We could be stuck here a very long time."

"It's not like we have a choice now," Connan griped back. "Watto slapped his hand. That's like signing a contract in these parts. If we don't pull through, he'll pull the Hutts."

"And it's far too dangerous to call for help," Quai Gon continued. "And a ship without a power supply isn't going to get us anywhere." He paused, glancing at Connan. "And…. There's something about this boy." Quai Gon clicked off the comm. link.

Shmi came walking outside as Connan turned to leave. Se smiled at the woman.

"You should be very proud of your son." Quai Gon insisted. "He gives without any thought of reward."

"Well, he knows nothing of greed." Shmi answered, watching her son below as he fixed up the pod. "He has a—"

"He has special powers." Connan finished. Shmi nodded slightly, murmuring a "Yes." Connan went on. "He can see things before they happen."

"That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait." Quai Gon added.

"He deserves better than a slave's life." Shmi insisted.

"Why certainly." Quai Gon said. "Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified him early. The Force is unusually strong in him, that much is clear." He glanced uneasily between Connan and Shmi. "Who was his father?"

"Quai Gon!" Connan scolded, stamping his foot. "You don't go around asking questions like that!"

"It's alright," Shmi quickly stopped their quarrel. "I don't mind. There was no father."

Connan blanched, straightening and glancing at Anakin. Shmi went on.

"I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him." She said. "I can't explain what happened."

"But—that's—wow. Jolee would have a field day with this one." Connan slapped her forehead. "There was _no _father? At all? He just—appeared? Wow…." Quai Gon nervously chuckled.

"Can you help him?" Shmi asked hopefully. Connan nodded.

"I don't know," Quai Gon answered. "We really didn't come here to free slaves."

Connan grabbed Quai Gon's poncho and dragged him away from Shmi.

"Come on," She said. "You and I are going to check on that pod."

Five of Anakin's friends came running up to the pod as Connan approached. Connan knelt down to R2-D2 and knocked on his blue top.

"What are you doing just sitting there? Go fix something!" She ordered. R2-D2 beeped his response. One of the boys pointed to the droid.

"Wow, a real astro droid!" He exclaimed. "How did you get so lucky?"

"That isn't the half of it." Anakin boasted. "I'm in on the Boonta Race tomorrow."

"What?" Said the same boy. "With _this_?"

"**You're such a joker, Ani." **Another friend commented.

"You've been working on that thing for years." The first girl in the group called.

"It's never gonna run." Finished the second.

"Come on," The last friend in the group ordered. "Let's go and play ball. Keep racing, Ani. You're gonna be bug squash." The friends ran off, except for the first boy.

Connan pulled a pair of pliers and began fixing the wires for the engine as Jar Jar screwed a nut into place.

"Hey, Jar Jar." Anakin advised. Jar Jar was started, and dropped the tool he was using. "Keep away from those energy binders. If your hand gets caught in the beam, it'll go numb for hours."

Connan snorted. The thought of Jar Jar with a numb hand was hilarious. She watched Jar Jar nod, bend down to pick up his tool, and get his face caught in the energy binders. He sputtered, pulling his face away as Connan dropped to the floor in full-out laughter.

"My tongue is fat." Jar Jar's voice was muffled as his tongue stuck out of his mouth. "My tongue. Wrench." The wrench had been caught in the propeller part of the pod. Jar Jar saw it. "Where is da wrench? Oh, dare it is." He put his hand in the socket as the wrench fell from it, back onto the ground. Jar Jar pulled on his hand.

It was stuck.

"Uh-oh." Jar Jar muttered "Uh, Ani—I'm stuck. Ani?"

"You know," 3PO said as Connan stood straight. "I find that Jar Jar creature to be a little…odd." R2-D2 gurgled his agreements.

"Resuscitation: I, too, believe the Gungan slime to show a little more… ignorance than the other Gungans." HK stood straight, his blaster neatly in his hands.

"Good choice of words, there, HK." Connan slapped him on the shoulder. "Maybe we should go help him."

"Descriptive Suggestion: We _could_, Master. Or we could simply let the boy turn on the machine and watch the Gungan fly around in an orange whirl." Connan chuckled.

"Yes, that was descriptive." She chided. "But I don't think we'll be able to see that. I'm not _that _mean, you know."

"Temporary resignation: Yes, Master." HK sighed.

"What? Temporary?" Connan barked. "Lose the temporary act."

"Resignation: Very, well, Master."

"That's better."

"You don't even know if this thing's going to run." Anakin's friend told him. Quai Gon walked up to Anakin and put him into the seat.

"It will." Anakin assured his friend.

"I think it's time we found out." Quai Gon stated, handing Anakin a long chip. "Here, use this power charge."

"Yes, sir!" Anakin joked, saluting Quai Gon. Quai Gon took the friend's hand and pulled him away.

"Come on, Kitster, let's move away."

Jar Jar, on the other hand, was still stuck at the back.

"My—my mouth! Ani, I—" Padmé glanced at him and ran over. "Uh, hey. My tongue, is fat. Ani!"

"You're quite right." C-3PO stated. "He's very odd indeed."

Padmé succeeded in pulling the Gungan's hand loose from the pod. Jar Jar gave the thumb's up and moved away.

"Disappointed resolution: Oh, drat! It looks like we won't be able to see the Gungan fly around." HK sighed again.

"It's okay, HK. When we get back to Coruscant we'll be able to get some things out of your system." Connan assured him. The droid nodded.

The engine of the pod hummed to life as Anakin flipped the buttons up and down inside the cockpit. The propellers began moving and the wind picked up around them.

Connan beamed. She was so proud of the boy. He'd built the whole pod on his own—and it worked! She glanced at Quai Gon, who had his hands on his hips. He was sucking his teeth, and observing the pod as it rose into the air.

"It's working! It's working!" Anakin screamed over the pod. His mother stood on the balcony above and watched in silent admiration as the pod wound back down.

-----

On that same balcony that night, Connan sat next to Quai Gon who was cleaning a cut on Anakin's skin.

"Stay still, Ani. Let me clean this cut." He said. Anakin was staring out at the stars.

"There's so many! Do they all have a system of planets?" He asked.

"Most of them." Connan looked up, too. "Some are still inhabitable, I'd wager." She pointed to the east stars. "Over there is where I came from a few weeks ago."

"Do you plan on going back?" Quai Gon asked.

"If that's the way I can get home, then possibly, when this is all said and done." Connan shrugged.

"Has anyone ever been to all of the planets?" Anakin changed the subject back to its original topic. Connan chuckled.

"Not likely. There's way too many for one person to do." She answered.

"I want to be the first one to see 'em all." Anakin mused. Quai Gon chuckled.

"Ani! Time for bed!" Shmi called from inside the house. Quai Gon pricked Anakin, causing him to cry out.

"Ow!" The boy said. Quai Gon rubbed the skin.

"There we are, good as new." He said. Shmi walked by.

"Ani! I'm not going to tell you again." She said.

"What are you doing?" Anakin watched as Quai Gon put the blood sample taken into the datapad.

"Checking your blood for infections." Quai Gon patted Anakin on the shoulder.

"Go on, get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." Connan pushed the boy into the house.

Quai Gon turned on the comm. link.

"Obi-Wan?" He asked into the link.

"Yes, Master." Came the reply.

"I need an analysis of the blood sample I'm sending you."

"Wait a minute." Obi Wan said. Quai Gon went on.

"I need a midi-chlorian count."

There was a pause as Obi Wan gasped.

"The reading is off the charts. Over twenty-thousand. Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high." He answered.

"Only one other person we've checked has." Quai Gon glanced at Connan.

"Me? I have a midi-chlorian count over twenty-thousand? What the hell _is _a midi-chlorian anyway?" She asked, pointing at herself.

"It's the thing that connects Jedi to the Force." Quai Gon stated.

"What does this mean, Master?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'm not sure." Quai Gon answered. He glanced at the doorway. Shmi was standing there. She sighed, and walked away.

"So he's got an impossible amount of midi-chlorogines in him." Connan shrugged.

"Midi-chlorian." Quai Gon corrected.

"And he's got no father." Connan deduced. "Could the midi-cloogites have created him?"

"It is possible. Who was your father?" Quai Gon asked.

"Why?" Connanthrew up a defense.

"Well, your count is over twenty-thousand as well. Perhaps we can find out what's going on by looking at your parents." Quai Gon shrugged.

"I don't look like my father at all. He seemed to hate me for some reason." She glanced at Quai Gon's sullen look. "Yes, I'm one of those dreary people with the dark, secretive pasts. Do I look like it? Probably not."

"So what if you were made of midi-chlorians too?" Quai Gon suggested.

"It would certainly be better than thinking I came from _that _beat-up drunk." Connan snarled. She shrugged. "Well, thanks to you, we've got a hugely important event tomorrow, so I'd better go to sleep. Good night." She bowed her head. Quai Gon followed suit.

"Good night, Connan."

-----

"I wanna see your spaceship the moment the race is over." Watto ordered Connan the next day.

"Patience, my ugly friend. You'll have your winnings before the suns set." Connan answered him. Quai Gon stood beside her.

"And we'll be far away from here." He finished.

"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think, huh?" The Toydarian laughed. "I warn you, no funny business."

"You don't think little Ani can win?" Connan crossed her arms.

"Don't get me wrong, no. I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race, but, uh, Sebulba there is going to win, I think." Watto pointed to the obnoxious Dug being pampered by cantina dancers.

"Oh, no!" Jar Jar cried.

"Why would you think that?" Quai Gon asked.

"Well, he always wins." Watto shrugged. He pushed Jar Jar out of the way and circled Connan and Quai Gon. "I'm betting heavily on Sebulba." Connan fumed.

"I'll take that bet." She snarled.

"You what?" Watto asked.

"You what?" Quai Gon gawked. She winked at him.

"I'll wager our new racing pod against, say, the boy and his mother." She was now circling him.

"No pod is worth two slaves, not by a long shot." Watto slapped his finger into Connan's chest. She bristled.

"The boy, then." Quai Gon changed.

"Hmmm, well, uhh—" The Toydarian smirked. "We'll let fate decide, huh? I just happed to have a chance cube here. Blue, it's the boy. Red, his mother." Watto held up the cube to Connan, showing her all six sides. Three were blue and three were red. He threw it on the ground.

Connan saw Quai Gon hold his hand out as it stopped rolling. It landed on a blue. Connan chuckled, shrugging.

"Ain't that the way fate deals 'em?" She asked. Watto got in her face.

"You won this small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race! So it makes little difference." Connan held her hand at her side and brought it up to her shoulder. The cube on the floor flew to life, shooting to Watto and hitting him in the face. The Toydarian growled, rubbing his temples. He flew off in a rage toward Anakin.

"**Hey there, boy." **He chuckled. **"You'd better stop your friend's betting. Or I'll end up owning them, too." **Watto flew away, leaving a bewildered Anakin. He watched Connan and Quai Gon come up to him.

"What did he mean by that?" The boy asked. Connan waved it off.

"I'll tell you later. Let's get going."

"Oh, my. Space travel sounds quite perilous." C-3PO told R2-D2. The droid beeped. "I can assure you, they will never get me onto one of those dreadful starships."

Somehow, Connan thought so.

-----

"This is so wizard, Ani. I'm sure you'll do it this time." Kitster encouraged.

"Do what?" Padmé asked. Connan walked up behind the girl.

"Finish the race, of course." Connan snorted before she could stop herself.

"You've never won a race?" Padmé asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Well, not exactly." Anakin hesitated.

"Not even finished?" Padmé gawked. Anakin threw his arm around Kitster.

"Kitster's right, I will this time." He grinned.

"Of course you will." Quai Gon laid his hands on the boy's shoulders. Padmé glanced from Connan, to Quai Gon, her mouth slightly open from shock.

-----

The two show hosts in the main box of the arena began giving a play-by-play of the opening ceremony, one in Huttese and the other in Basic.

"That's absolutely right. And a big turnout here from all corners of the Outer Rim territories." Said the Basic host. "I see the contestants are making their way onto the starting grid." The first speaker translated to Huttese. "I see Ben Quadinaros from the Tund system, two-time winner, Boles Roor," The first announcer began talking again, ending the announcements with the name, "Sebulba".

The Dug jumped onto his pod and threw his front legs into the air. The crowds went crazy, screaming his name and praise to him. He drank it all in greedily. Connan rolled her eyes. The second announcer went on.

"And in the front row, nearside pole position, Mawhonic!" The alien took a bow. "A hearty hello to Clegg Holdfast and his Voltec KT9 Wasp!" This alien mumbled dejectedly to himself as he received minimal applause. "And back again, it's the might Dud Bolt, with that incredible racing machine, the Vulptereen 327!" The alien paid no attention. "And hoping for a big win today, Ody Mandrell, with his record-setting pit droid team." The three "pit droids" began fighting.

"And a late entry, young Anakin Skywalker, a local boy." The crowds almost went as crazy as they did with Sebulba. Anakin stopped fixing his pod long enough to wave then kept going.

"I see the flags are moving down onto the track." Said the announcer. Connan knelt down beside Anakin as his mother took his shoulders.

"Be safe." She told him.

"I will Mom, I promise." Anakin answered. Connan laid a hand on his elbow.

"I'll be watching out for him, don't you worry." She winked at Shmi. "He'll do alright."

Anakin began plugging parts into each other as Sebulba walked up to him.

"**You won't walk away from this one, you slave scum." **He chided.

"**Don't count on it, slime ball." **Anakin answered.

"**You're bantha fodder!" **Sebulba shouted, walking away. Connan watched Quai Gon approach.

"You all set, Ani?" Quai Gon asked.

"Yep." Answered the boy.

"Right," Quai Gon picked up the boy and placed him in the pod. "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts." Anakin glanced from him to the inside of the pod.

"I will."

"May the Force be with you." Quai Gon handed Anakin the helmet, then walked away.

"Now, little Ani." Connan said, leaning onto the pod. "If you end up needing any help at all, don't be afraid to ask."

"I don't." Anakin shrugged. Connan chuckled.

"I don't mean now. I mean during the race." She said, brushing his hair behind him.

"What? How can—" Anakin frowned.

"Just think about what you need help in fixing." Connan guided. She patted his head. "And have fun."

-----

"**Begin the race!" **The pods started up. People went running out of the way. Anakin started his pod and checked for any miscalculations.

Connan, Jar Jar, and Quai Gon stepped onto the rising platform while it was safely on the ground.

"Is he nervous?" Shmi asked.

"He's fine." Quai Gon answered.

"You Jedi are far too reckless." Padmé snarled. "The Queen is not—"

"The Queen trusts my judgment, young handmaiden. You should too." Quai Gon smirked. Connan rolled her eyes. She shrugged at Padmé.

"Sorry," She mouthed.

"You assume too much." Padmé said, a sense of pride coming over her. Connan snapped her fingers.

"Of course! You're—" She was cut off. Padmé whirled around and placed a finger over her lips. Connan nodded. "You're going to tell me about this later, though." Padmé nodded.

"Start your engines." The announcer called. Jar Jar began his hyperventilating.

"Oh, dissen goina be messy! Me no watch'n!" He covered his eyes.

The Hutt banged the gong and the first light shone across the arena. The race had started. All of the drivers took off…

Save two.

Anakin's pod went three feet and jerked to a halt. Connan felt him panic. She stared at him.

"_Don't panic, Ani. Take a deep breath and find what's wrong." _She thought.

"Come on, Ani!" Jar Jar called.

Anakin flicked a few buttons and hit the speed stick. The engine spurred to life once more. Anakin's hands went to the controls and he pressed down.

He was off.

-----

**Okay, I ended it here because I didn't want to go through the whole pod race. In the next chapter it comes out after he's finished. It's just too long for my liking. Sorry if anyone feels differently.**

**And I'm also sorry for not updating last week! I was going to but a virus went through my computer. It took me a few days to get it out. And I'm updating on a Saturday because tomorrow is Easter and I have to go to Hico for the day. So sorry people! It will definitely be on time next week! And next week I'll star at chapter 23 and be one hour, ten minutes and three seconds into it. Please review!**


	7. Back To Coruscant

**Short chapter, folks, sorry.**

**Back at Coruscant**

Connan squealed, picking up Ani and whirling him around.

"Good goin, Ani!" Called Jar Jar. Connan set him down on the ground, letting Padmé embrace the boy.

"We owe you everything, Ani." She said calmly. Shmi bent down and smooched his face.

"It's so wonderful, Ani." She encouraged, lacing her arms around his shoulders. "You have brought hope to those who have none."

"Gee, thanks." Connan gurgled, crossing her arms and looking away, a pout on her face. She was ignored.

"I'm so very proud of you," Shmi went on.

Connan giggled, hugging tightly to the boy.

"You won! You won, you won, you won!" She cried. "You're great! This is enormous! Oh, if Carth had been here to see this, he would've—"

"Connan." Connan froze, letting go of Anakin and rubbing his hair. Quai Gon stood behind the boy, with his arms crossed and an impatient look on his face. "We have somewhere we need to be."

"Oh, that's right! The bet!" She snapped her fingers. Anakin raised an eyebrow, obviously perplexed. She flicked his nose playfully. "We'll be back soon, okay?"

-----

Watto was giving money to betters next to him, griping as he did so.

"**Oy chuba no." **He insisted. Which either meant, "Take your money and skee-daddle," or "Get out of my sight, free-loader." Neither sounded appeasing. Connan chuckled, smirking at the now-poor Toydarian. He snarled at her.

"You." He said, pointing a finger.

"Yes, this is me." Connan remarked. He growled, continuing his statements.

"You two swindled me!" Connan giggled. "You knew the boy was going to win. Somehow you knew it." He groaned. "I lost everything."

"Yes, well, that happens sometimes." Connan shrugged.

"Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll lose." Quai Gon quoted. Connan circled the Toydarian.

"Bring the parts to the main hangar." She instructed. "Quai Gon will come by the shop later so you can release the boy."

"Hnnn, you can't have him!" Watto declared. Connan glared. "It wasn't a fair bet."

"_I'll show _him _a fair bet!" _She screamed inside her mind, her fingers finding her lightsaber with anticipation. Quai Gon stepped in front of her.

"Would you like to discuss this with the Hutts?" He asked. "I'm sure they can settle this." Connan got close to him.

"What are you thinking? We can't let the Hutts know we have Pad—I mean, the Queen with us!" She hissed. "That's what the Captain was trying to avoid in the first place."

Quai Gon held up a hand, quieting down Connan for the time being.

Watto grumbled, staring at the floor in defeat. "Take him." He stated. Connan's relief washed over her quickly, as she bowed and left the room. She hooked her arm onto Quai Gon's and pulled him with her.

"And they say _I'm_ the reckless one." She declared.

-----

Connan and Obi Wan stood looking up at Quai Gon, who sat on a beast, blocking the suns out of the two's vision.

"Well," he said. "We have all the essential parts we need. I'm going back. Some unfinished business; shouldn't take long."

"Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic-life form?" Obi Wan remarked. Connan elbowed him.

"I wouldn't call this boy pathetic. He's quite the little mechanic. Even HK-47 was astounded with the tenacity of him." She chided.

"It's the boy who's responsible for getting us these parts." Quai Gon answered. He handed Connan a chip. "Get this hyperdrive generator installed, and punch in the coordinates on this chip into the pilot's console."

"Yeah, that shouldn't take long." Connan said.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, too?" Quai Gon asked.

"No, really. I feel like I'll be better used here. Something's happening." She rubbed her arms.

"_It hasn't been three days yet. Could the viceroys have found us already?" _She thought.

"_I don't think it's the viceroys we should be worried about,_" Her mind answered.

"Come on, hup!" Quai Gon steered the beast away. Hooked onto it was another of the beasts, set up for Anakin's ride back.

Connan sighed. Why wouldn't this irking feeling along her spine shatter? There was nothing to worry about. The boy was coming with them, they'd go back to Coruscant, this Council would summon _her _Council, and her Council would send her back. Easy.

Almost too easy. What was the catch? There was always a catch. There had to be _something _Connan was forgetting about that would prevent her from returning to Carth.

She gasped.

Darth Maul. He was on Coruscant last time she'd had a Precognition, but that could have changed. He could have jumped onto a shuttle and gotten there quicker than expected.

"I—" She took a step backward, raising her eyebrows as she felt her brow perspire. Obi Wan glanced at her quizzically. She handed him the chip. "Do what Quai Gon told me to do, okay?" She asked. "There's something I have to do."

"What's that?" Obi Wan asked, gripping onto the chip delicately. Connan shrugged.

"Find a man in black." She answered.

"In these suns? The fool." Obi Wan sneered. He sighed. "Yes, I'll put the hyperdrive generator in for you and type the coordinates in."

"Thanks." Connan winked at him, running up the ship ramp.

She didn't know if the Sith Lord was even _there_. It could just be another sandstorm feeling. But the last sandstorm feeling didn't feel like this felt. This felt like…. cold. The picture of Hoth—a planet so cold, you'd freeze to death in twelve point fifteen seconds without the proper wear—came into her mind. It was like standing in the middle of Hoth without any clothes on at all, and a taun-taun trying to bite at your frost-bitten toes. No, this couldn't have been a sandstorm. It was something else.

Tuskan Raiders?

No, the Sand People are not intelligent enough to be sending a wave like that. Sand People can't become Jedi simply because they can't learn anything beyond than the primitive instincts they were born with. Something else.

Krayt Dragon?

No. The last dragon they'd seen on Tatooine was the one that the Twi'lek killed so they could get the Star Map. Even _if_ Krayt Dragons were among the Dark Side creatures, they most certainly wouldn't have been _that _Dark Side. It was something different.

Rancor?

Connan passed by the notion without another thought.

The only thing the Jedi could have thought of doing was meditating. She groaned, sliding to the floor using the wall as a brace. She crossed her sore legs and closed her eyes. She envisioned her surroundings through the Force, focusing on the dark blue walls. No Force tampering there. She stretched her mind out to the desert before her. She stopped a moment to stare at Obi Wan, who shone a bright blue, signaling that he was indeed a Light-Sided Jedi. Moving on, Connan spotted Jar Jar not far away. He glowed a murky sort of green, as if moss had been thrown next to a giant, Kashyyykian Tree. Obviously it said that he was a very non-Force Adept. He couldn't feel the Force if it was pounding on his head with a mallet.

Wafting quietly past the Gungan, however, was a dark red wave. It pulsed into Connan's mind and caused her to shudder. That was it! _That _was what was making her shiver so much. It was a Dark Sided aura, coming from deeper into the desert.

Connan bolted from her position to the sand outside.

"Connan!" Obi Wan called in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be back in a bit." She called, running past Jar Jar, who watched her go by.

"Bye-bye, Connan!" He bid, waving. "Mesa be seein' yousa later!"

She waved him off. Jumping onto a nearby speeder, she sped off into the desert.

-----

His speeder came out of nowhere. She was certainly surprised to see it. Connan was just as surprised, though, to see a lightsaber in the hooded man's hand. The man was closing the distance between the two of them quickly. Connan swerved her bike, pulling out one of her own lightsabers and attempting a swing at the enemy's speeder. He swung around, too, striking at Connan. Her speeder almost flipped over as she tried to dodge the attack.

Once Connan reorganized herself, she stabbed at the hooded man, who lunged back. They locked into battle. The man swung at her chest. Connan parried and rode to his other side, trying to throw him off of his bike while thrusting at his chest. It didn't work. The man turned his speeder on high and sped toward the Nubian.

Connan followed, catching up with him and reinstated the battle. She fought to control the battle and keep the speeder intact while she kept herself alive. She swore openly.

"Go away!" She cried, thrusting at him again. He blocked and chuckled. He slapped at Connan's chest. Connan swerved the bike, nicking her shoulder on Maul's blade. She screamed as the speeder lost control. It spun around in circles, blurring Connan's vision together. She let go of the handles and closed her eyes, attempting to steady the speeder with her Force. The whirling slowly came to a stop, and Connan shook her head. She sped off for Darth Maul, nearing the Nubian.

She caught him once again easily enough, but didn't have time to attack once more. Connan froze as the sound of a little boy rang in her ears.

"Quai Gon, sir. Wait! I'm tired." It was Anakin. He was standing barely fifty feet in front of their speeders. Quai Gon saw the speeders and gasped.

"Anakin, drop!" He ordered. With perfect timing, the boy fell onto the sand, crying an "Ooof!" in the process.

Darth Maul let go of his speeder and flipped close to Quai Gon. Connan flipped her bike over onto itself, imploding as she leapt into the battle. All three Jedi had their sabers out and clashing.

"Go, Ani!" Connan ordered.

"Tell them to take off!" Quai Gon finished.

Connan was getting tired. Her shoulder seriously needed attention, as the cut seemed to be getting deeper, and her stomach was still very queasy from that fun little "spin" Connan took moments before jumping off of her speeder. She glanced at Anakin as he bolted to the ship.

"And tell HK-47 I said aim for the black-hooded one!" She called. Darth Maul struck her shoulder with his hilt, causing her to cry out and drop. She spun around and tripped him as he lunged at Quai Gon. He flipped over, hitting Connan. She parried and kicked his stomach.

Quai Gon pulled Connan off of the ground during the pause in the battle and heard the clicking of the ship's flight starters.

"We've got to divert him so we can get on the ship." He hissed into her ear and Darth Maul came back with another rap of attacks. Connan and Quai Gon relentlessly parried and struck back.

"I've got it covered, hopefully." She answered. She held her lightsaber to Darth Maul's and struck her head onto his. He fell backward, not uttering a sound. His legs jolted and he was once again up, and rearing to attack.

"Hurry up, you stupid droid!" Connan griped, panting as she entered battle once more. "This is what happens when one doesn't get practice in six weeks." She uttered.

A shot was fired from the ship, aimed at the Sith apprentice. He jumped back as another was launched. Connan rubbed the spot on her head where she'd hit him.

"Now!" She called. She and Quai Gon jumped onto the ramp, watching Darth Maul close his lightsaber and disappear.

Connan sank to the floor alongside Quai Gon, cradling her shoulder and panting as her lightsaber constricted. The door next to her opened as Anakin and Obi Wan ran out.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked. Connan sighed.

"I'm getting too old for this…." She insisted. Obi Wan knelt down beside her.

"There's red paint all over your forehead." He said, licking his thumb and rubbing her temples thoroughly. "And that shoulder wound looks deep." Connan waved him off.

"I'm alright. I've had worse." She insisted. She looked to Quai Gon. "What about you?"

"I think I'm alright," He said, propping his arms up behind him.

"What was it?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'm not sure, but it was well-trained in the Jedi arts." Quai Gon said.

"He was a Zabrak." Connan answered. "I'd remember that face structure anywhere."

"You've met a 'Zabrak' before?" Quai Gon inquired. Connan nodded.

"It was…. Three thousand nine hundred ninety eight years ago, I think. I had a few Zabrak technicians in the Mandalorian Wars with me." She answered. Anakin sputtered.

"Huh?" He asked. "Three _thousand _years ago? How is that possible?"

"I'll tell you later." Connan promised.

"Well, whatever it was, my guess is it was after the Queen." Quai Gon continued. Connan looked away unexpectedly.

"What are we gonna do about it?" Anakin asked with anticipation. Connan giggled at him. Quai Gon sighed, trying his hardest to hide a grin.

"We shall be patient." He said, holding out his hand. "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi Wan Kenobi."

"Hi." Anakin greeted Obi Wan warmly. His eyes popped out of his head. "You're a Jedi too? Pleased to meet you!"

It was too much for Connan to handle. She wrapped her arms around Anakin and pulled him into a hug.

"You're just _too _cute!" She cried. She exchanged glances with Obi Wan and Quai Gon, who were both sniggering.

-----

**Told you it wasn't long! Ha. I was trying to hurry up Tatooine. I was getting tired of it. I'm already half-way through the movie! O.O Whoa. I'm on chapter twenty six and I've gone through one hour, eighteen minutes and thirty five seconds. I'll try my hardest to update next Sunday! Please review!**

**Oh yeah! I'm going to start a new fic sooner or later, once I plan it out. It's going to be a funny one. Can you believe it? Me, writing _humor_? What is this world coming to? Lol. Thanks so much for your reviews, they really help me. **


	8. Stupid Councils

**Happy late Mother's Day! I'm doing a bit of freelancing in this chapter, so bear with me!**

**Stupid Councils**

Everyone thought Connan was asleep. True, she was wrapped tightly into her sheets and leaning against the wall. And true, her eyes were closed. But she was no more asleep than Jar-Jar was a Jedi.

They were going home. _Home_. Strange that Connan thought _home _instead of _Coruscant_. This…. this _place _wasn't her home. This place wasn't even her era. This wasn't her ship, this wasn't her time, these weren't her _friends_.

"_They are so my friends," _Connan screamed at herself.

"_Are you sure you can keep them that way?" _Her mind answered calmly. _"We're going to have to leave sometime, and at one point you won't be able to come back."_

"_I know, I know already!" _Connan snarled. _"And thanks for the warm reminder."_

Connan snuggled into her red sheet, careful not to move her shoulder too much. Even after she'd healed it and Obi Wan examined it, it felt a little sore. It was probably the muscles just tightened. Nothing to worry about.

The door whirled open unexpectedly as Padmé walked through it. She'd switched back into her orange handmaiden robes and had washed away all residue of Tatooine on her face. She walked briskly to the computer panel next to where Connan lay and pressed a red button. A man—the governor of Naboo—appeared on a small hologram.

"**The death toll is catastrophic." **The governor said. **"We must bow to their wishes. You _must _contact me!"**

The hologram disappeared.

Connan scoffed, rolling her eyes and repositioning herself to face Anakin. The boy shuddered as he rubbed his hands over his shoulders. Padmé turned to face the boy and gasped.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her eyes squinting. Connan felt for any injuries on the boy and found none. Anakin shook his head.

"It's very cold." He shuddered once more. Jar Jar kicked the table and muttered in his sleep as Padmé brought out a blanket for Anakin. Connan smiled, hunkering down into her own covers.

"You come from a warm planet, Ani." Padmé explained. "A little too warm for my tastes." She draped the covers of his body and began tucking it behind him. "Space is cold."

Padmé's eyes drooped sadly and she stared at the diamond patterns in the red blanket. Connan felt the urge to break her silence and ask what was wrong. Anakin beat her to it.

"You seem sad." He said.

"The queen is worried." Padmé answered. Connan sighed. "Her people are suffering. Dying." She looked away coldly and growled. "She must convince the senate to intervene, or…" She couldn't finish. "I'm just not sure what would happen."

Anakin looked to the red sheet covering him and pulled his hands out. "I made this for you." He said. Padmé held out her hand to take it. "So you'd remember me." It was a wooden charm, with carvings put in it. There were still traces of dust on the outlines of it, indicating that he'd just finished it. "I carved it out of a japor snippet." He watched Padmé marvel at it. "It'll bring you good fortune." He looked at Padmé expectantly.

"It's beautiful," Padmé smiled. "But I don't need this to remember you by." Anakin beamed. "Many things will change when we reach the capital, Ani. But my caring for you will remain."

"_Ooh," _Connan thought, a smirk on her face. _"Isn't that sweet?"_

"I care for you too." Anakin admitted. "Only, I—"

"Miss your mother." Padmé finished. She laid a hand on his shoulder gently in encouragement and sighed. Connan suppressed a small "Awwww," from escaping her lips, stretched within the covers, and fell into a slumber.

-----

Five days. It took them _five days_ to get from Tatooine to Coruscant. Connan was to sick of the Nubian by then, she was about to order her droid to break something in it so they'd have to land on another planet. She stood in the cockpit with the pilot and Anakin, watching as they prepared to land on the senate building.

"Coruscant. The whole planet is one big city." The pilot explained. "There's Chancellor Valorum's shuttle. And look over there! Senator Palpatine is waiting for us."

Connan scoped the landing pad, finding a man dressed in light blue robes. He was staring back at her. Something about his look seemed oddly familiar. The way he stood, the way he looked, the way he waved and smiled as he caught sight of the Nubian. It all sent chills up her spine.

Quai Gon appeared in the cockpit after a moment, preparing Anakin on what he was to do.

"You are to stay with the Queen until we've met with the Council." He said. "Senator Palpatine will take care of you."

Shudder. Connan couldn't suppress it. She closed her eyes and shook her shoulders out as she groaned. Quai Gon stared at her quizzically.

"Nothing," She lied. "Now, Æliesha will be in there, right?"

"Yes, Æliesha is fine," Quai Gon answered. Connan took out her flute.

"Who's Æliesha?" Anakin asked.

"She's my dog. I'll introduce you to her once we land." Connan ran her hand through the boy's hair. "Once we finish with the Council."

The ship landed and the ramp opened. Connan stepped out and pressed the flute to her lips. She blew through it.

"**_Æliesha? Are you there? I'm back!" _**She sang through the flute. She placed it in her pack and stood next to Obi Wan and HK-47 as they left the ramp.

Unfortunately, Obi Wan went straight to Senator Palpatine. Connan followed uneasily and bowed after Obi Wan and Quai Gon. The two stepped back as the Queen approached the Senator.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty." The Senator said. Connan cringed, almost stepping backward.

"Where have I heard that voice before?" She asked herself wearily. The Senator continued.

"With the communications breakdown, we've been very concerned. I'm anxious to hear your report on the situation." He started. Connan scowled. She didn't like him. Something out of him was so…. Dark Side. "May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

The man standing next to Palpatine began talking. He seemed much friendlier, though more monotone, than Palpatine.

"Welcome, Your Highness. It's an honor to finally meet you in person." He bowed his head.

"Thank you Supreme Chancellor." The Queen stated. The Queen began to walk away.

"I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation. I've called for a special session of the senate to hear your position." The Chancellor started. Connan crossed her arms as the crowd began moving away.

"I'm grateful for your concern, Chancellor." The Queen bowed her head.

"There is a question of procedure, but, I'm confident we can overcome it." Palpatine added. Connan sighed, rolling her eyes.

"_Ah,"_ she thought, _"politics. Can't live with it, can't rule the galaxies without it._"

"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately." Quai Gon exchanged glances with Connan and Obi Wan while speaking to the Chancellor. "The situation has become much more complicated."

"It always does, doesn't it?" Connan rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Anakin whirled around from the group and stared intently at Quai Gon. The three Jedi stared back, disappointed looks on their faces.

"He doesn't know what the Sith are, does he?" Connan whispered.

"No one has ever needed to know for a thousand years." Obi Wan hissed back.

"Well, they're going to have to relearn." Connan scowled. Padmé ushered Anakin back to the group and left the three Jedi and the Chancellor alone.

-----

"He was trained in the Jedi arts." Quai Gon reported. Connan rubbed Æliesha's head thoughtfully. The hound growled affectionately. She stared at the faces of the Jedi Council. "My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."

The Council gasped unnecessarily. Connan rolled her eyes.

"How do you know it was a Sith _Lord_?" She asked. "The Sith never travel alone. He could be an apprentice."

"It's impossible. The Sith have been extinct for a millennium." Said the strange alien next to Yoda.

Connan burst out laughing. Even Æliesha "woofed" a couple of laughs.

"You can never get rid of the Sith, guys." She informed. "They always have a way of coming back."

"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing." Windu theorized.

"You expect too much of yourself." Connan countered. "The Sith can return in many forms, as many times, for many eons as they want."

"Hard to see, the Dark Side is," Yoda nodded.

"We will use all of our resources to unravel this mystery." Windu concluded. "We will discover the identity of your attacker."

"What mystery?" Connan asked, suddenly very frustrated. "There's no mystery. It's a Sith. The Sith are back. They're like gizka: you never know when they'll turn up or how many there are."

"Do not argue with the Council, Connan." Obi Wan advised.

"There's nothing of a mystery about it!" Connan said louder than before. "Master Windu, can't you trust Quai Gon enough to _know _he tells the truth? What about that thing most Jedi always say? 'Search your feelings, you know it to be true.' What about me? I know more about the Sith and all of you in here combined. I can tell my Sith from the rest of the world."

"Jedi Revan, we will discuss _your _priorities in a moment." Windu snorted.

"It's Connan." Connan spat, backing up. Æliesha gave off a warning growl.

"May the Force be with you," Windu said to Quai Gon and Obi Wan. They bowed. Connan crossed her arms and sighed. Obi Wan turned to leave, yet Quai Gon stayed where he was.

"Master Quai Gon," Yoda started, "more to say, have you?"

Connan smiled, knowing the topic of the next conversation.

"With your permission, my master, I have encountered a vergence in the Force." He stated.

A pause from the Council.

"A vergence, you say?" Yoda asked.

"Located around a person?" Windu inquired.

"A boy." Quai Gon insinuated. "His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have seen in a life-form, aside from Connan." Connan paled.

High concentration of midi-chlorians? What did that mean?

"It is possible he was conceived of the midi-chlorians." Quai Gon continued.

"Ah, possible Jedi Revan was conceived of midi-chlorians, too, then, is it not?" Yoda pointed at the Jedi with her dog.

"Someone needs to tell these people about the mynocks and the gnarls, if you get my drift." She whispered to Æliesha. The dog nodded her head.

"Yes, but this boy is from this era." Quai Gon explained.

"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force." Windu assumed. "You believe it's this boy?"

"I don't presume to—" Quai Gon was interrupted.

"But you do." Yoda cut in. "Revealed your opinion is."

"I request the boy be tested, Masters." Quai Gon stated.

"Oh. Trained as a Jedi you request for him, hmmm?" Yoda asked.

"Finding him was a will of the Force." Quai Gon clarified. "I have no doubt of that."

The Council exchanged glances, all toward Windu. The Master sighed, staring at his palms.

"Bring him before us, then." He sounded as if he had just got his arm cut off with a lightsaber. Heh. Like that'd ever happen to him.

Quai Gon bowed and left.

"Now, Jedi Revan." Windu finally stuck his attention to the woman. "It seems we now have to test a boy to be a Jedi. Will you allow us to help you after we've come up with a conclusion about him?"

Connan sighed, closing her eyes so she could roll them freely. All the Council's attention was on her. She smirked.

"Sure, whatever. I was hoping to get to watch the Senate debate, anyway." She patted her Kath Hound on the head. "Let's go get good seats, okay, Æliesha?"

-----

Connan found good seats near the top of the dome right when the session began. The Chancellor's seat sat out in the middle as he addressed the Senators.

"The chair recognizes the senator from the sovereign system of Naboo." The Chancellor announced. Palpatine stood and ushered his system's chair into the center so everyone could hear and see him.

"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate, a tragedy has occurred… which started right here with the taxation of trade routes and has now engulfed our entire planet in the oppression of the Trade Federation." He summed up the problem in one sentence.

The Trade Federation section stood.

"This is outrageous! I object to the senator's statements!" The Trade Federation called.

"The chair does not recognize the senator of the Trade Federation at this time." Valorum called.

"To state our allegations, I present Queen Amidala, recently elected ruler of Naboo, who speaks on our behalf." Palpatine instructed. He sat and Queen Amidala stood up.

Connan squinted at the girl standing before the chair. Connan nodded. Yup, this was Padmé. The decoy was no where to be seen.

"Honorable representatives of the Republic, I come to you under the gravest of circumstances. The Naboo system has been invaded by the droid armies of the—" She was cut off.

"I object! There is no proof!" The Trade Senator shouted. "This is incredible. We recommend a commission be sent to Naboo to ascertain the truth."

"The delegates of Malastare concur with the honorable delegate of the Trade Federation." Said another senator as their section floated to the center. "A commission must be appointed."

"The point—" Chancellor Valorum was cut short as his bureaucrat jumped in, whispering something into his ear. Connan raised an eyebrow and spotted Palpatine talking to Padmé. Connan watched the woman's eyes widen, though her face remained expressionless.

"The point is conceded." Chancellor Valorum sighed disappointedly. Connan scowled. She hated bureaucrats. They always held the true power. "Will defer your motion to allow a commission to explore the validity of your accusations?"

"Oh, don't you dare do it." Connan whispered to herself. Æliesha snorted her concurrence.

"I will _not_ defer." The Queen began getting testy. "I've come before you to resolve this attack on our sovereignty _now_." She stressed. Connan smiled.

"I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee." She snarled. She took a long, deep breath. "If this body is not capable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed." Connan raised an eyebrow, and Æliesha whined in confusion.

"I move for a vote of no confidence… in Chancellor Valorum's leadership."

Connan choked, toppling over onto herself.

"I didn't mean do something like that!" She whispered. "It'll take even longer to resolve things _without _a chancellor."

The Senators began shouting and chanting to themselves.

"Vote now! Vote now! Vote now! Vote now!" They screamed. Valorum sat in his chair in shock.

"Order!" The Bureaucrat cried. A look of fire in his eyes. Connan leaned against the wall and slammed her fist into the side.

"Æliesha," She said, after sighing to calm herself. "Why do I get the feeling that this Senate is becoming more Dark Side than the Republic needs?"

-----

Connan was called back to the Jedi Council chambers. She entered the room with her hound at her side.

"We have finished our conclusion on the boy, so now we will get you in touch with your Council. Tell us who they are." Windu ordered.

"Let's see…. Zhar, Dorak, Vandar, and… well, Atris is the only one left." Connan said. "Yes. Zhar, Dorak, Vandar, and Atris. Oh! And Donella Segora, please."

Yoda nodded, and all but five of the Council members left the room. Those five sat in their chairs and crossed their legs, as if meditating.

"We will attempt to summon those you asked for, and you can confer with them on your situation." Said the same alien that was with Yoda and Windu at the beginning. Connan nodded.

The five members started glowing a bright blue color, and five new faces entered the room, tinted with the blue Force-glow. Zhar, Dorak, Vandar, and Atris all stared at Connan with contempt, as if she'd gotten herself into something again, while Donella, a tall blonde woman with Matukai Robes and a large scar reaching from her right eye to the bottom left part of her lips was confused.

"What am _I _doing here?" She asked, staring at the other four. "It's not like _I _was on any Jedi Council. I was exiled before that could happen."

"Are you still on about that?" Connan chided, smiling with a huge grin. Donella glowered at her.

"_Yes _I am still on about that! I may be Light Sided, but that doesn't mean I can't be steamed for injustice." The Exile crossed her arms.

"We will discuss that later." Zhar resounded. "Now we must talk about the matter at hand."

"My thoughts exactly, Master Zhar." Atris said. The air became stuffy the second she opened her mouth. "What kind of trouble are you in this time, Revan?"

"That's _Connan_, Ate, and it wasn't my fault this time." Connan accused. "It's that big purple blob's fault."

"Just like it was Bandon's fault back in the Academy days when the whole battle chamber was painted a dark red, to make people think that the Sith had taken it over?" Atris barked.

"Now _that _was my fault." Connan admitted.

"Just like the time it was Malak's fault that all the tame tu'kata in the Enclave wore Atris' whole wardrobe and make-up?" Zhar added.

"I guess that one was my fault, too." Connan crossed her arms.

"What about the time it was Bastila's fault that Master Vrook had to start wearing a comb-over?" Donella inserted.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! I've done a lot of bad things! Thanks for the guilt trip here." Connan spat. "I just need help getting back home."

"Yes, you do seem to be about four thousand years in the future." Donella rubbed her forehead. "How did that happen?"

"The big purple blob wouldn't let go of my hand and I woke up here. _You're _part of the Force, _you _should know what's going on." Connan explained. "So, what's going on?"

"The left hand doesn't always know what the right hand is doing." Zhar said.

"What?" Connan asked.

"Force, Connan." Donella pouted. "We're on the Light Side of the Force, we can't tell what the Dark Side does."

"You mean that the big purple blob was Dark Side? Then how did it pick me to take it? Why did it send me here?" Connan asked.

"The 'big purple blob' is not a living entity," Dorak informed.

"Someone must have sent it to get you." Vandar added.

"Wait." Connan put a hand in the air. "So someone made the big purple blob go after me to send me here. Why?"

"Someone on the Dark Side must want you to do something there. Or maybe someone on the Light Side needed you there and dabbled with the Dark Side to get you." Zhar explained.

"Whatever it is we don't know how to reverse it." Donella crossed her arms.

"What!" Connan started. "So I'm stuck here? What about Carth? What about the old Republic? What about the _Ebon Hawk_? What about _Carth_!"

"Well, I suppose the person may send you back whenever he or she wants you to leave." Dorak rubbed his chin. "But thus far we don't know if it's true."

"So that it then. You're going to leave me four thousand years in the past with no one but a rusty old droid and Æliesha." Connan rubbed her hound's head.

"You always could catch on quick." Atris snapped. Connan glowered.

"You will make it back to your time, Connan." Vandar encouraged. "The purple blob you saw is a Force power called the _Byssual_, a Rodian word meaning 'time spacer'. It doesn't last forever."

"Well, that's a relief." Connan sighed.

"But be careful." Donella urged. "We don't know what would happen if you died here."

"Please! Me? Die? Only of old age." Connan waved her off, smiling.

"One more thing before we leave," Dorak instructed. "You must journalize everything that happens to you here."

"You will need it for sanity's sake later on." Zhar finished.

"Fine, then. Leave me here." Connan spat on the ground, then paused. "Wait. How is HK-47 here? I left him on the ship back in Korriban."

"This droid has survived the ages." Donella said. "Ask him about it. It's too convenient that he showed up on the same planet you were at."

"Yeah, yeah. You're getting an earful when I get back with you, okay?" Connan promised Donella.

"Sure," Donella agreed. "And Connan?" She said.

"Hmmm?" The woman asked.

"Remember the more connections you make here, the more it will be—_apparent_—later."

"Apparent? What's that supposed to mean?" Connan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't say any more." Donella said. "And this Council is running out of mental energy. We must leave."

They were gone. There was no flash, so slow descending in to the sky, and no melting into the background. There were there and then they weren't. Connan's arms went limp at her sides.

"Well, good-bye to you, too." She mumbled.

"Listened to your conversation, we did." Yoda mentioned.

"I figured." Connan curtly replied.

"We understand your frustration, Jedi Revan." The alien sympathized.

"Oh, really? You've been raked across time to another era with no hope of getting back anytime soon before?" Connan called. "And the name is _Connan Frai_, if you don't mind." She crossed her arms and looked away. Æliesha brushed her head gently across Connan's leg. "If I'm going to be stuck here, I'm staying with Quai Gon and Obi Wan, okay?"

The five exchanged glances. "Allow it, we will." Yoda nodded. Connan bowed.

"Will you please retrieve Master Quai Gon, Padawan Obi Wan, and the boy?" Windu asked. "We will now tell them what we've decided on the boy's fate."

-----

**Well, it's longer than I expected it to be. I'm on chapter 32 and I'm 1:33:04 of the way through. I can't believe it, but I'm almost done. **

**SUMMER IS HERE! I'm sorry, but I have to mini-rant. I'm gonna be a freshman! WHEE! I'm excited! I get a whole summer of updates! I promise I'll do two a week most weeks so I can get like a fourth—maybe more—through the second movie before school starts again.**

**Please review, guys! I really love to read what people think of the stories, even if they're criticizing. n.n **


	9. On the Road Again

**I'm starting different POVs at the very end of this one, okay people? Good.**

**Will _someone _please tell me that alien's name? The one with the long head who usually sits next to Yoda and in the third movie, is the… second Jedi attacked by the traitorous clones. I saw it once, but I can't find it anymore.**

**On the Road Again….**

Quai Gon was on Connan in an instant as he stepped through the doors.

"Are you alright?" He asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You don't feel really happy."

"I'm trapped here." She answered, sniffing back angry tears. "I can't go home anytime soon. The _Byssual _that got me here will take me back sometime, but I don't know when."

"A _Byssual_?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'll explain later." Connan glanced at Anakin who was listening in on their conversation. The other two glimpsed a look as well, nodding their agreement.

The Council came in at that time and took their seats. They all stared at Anakin.

"The Force is strong with him." The alien next to Yoda explained.

"He is to be trained, then?" Quai Gon assumed. Connan glanced at Windu, who sat back in his chair with his hand resting on the top.

"No, he will not be trained." The pompous Jedi Master said.

"No?" Quai Gon repeated, a look of total shock upon his face.

"No!" Connan boomed, outraged. "You can feel the Force through him, you can see he's got the talent for it, and yet you still say no? There's no sense to it." Anakin glared at Windu, not trusting himself to say anything.

"He is too old." Windu continued.

"Age—well, age usually does matter, but it shouldn't in this case!" Connan argued. "I was seven when I started training the first time; and twenty nine the second!" She received blank looks from the Council.

"This isn't your era, Jedi Connan." Windu warned. "Don't get involved."

"It's dangerous to let him roam free without knowledge of how to control what he has! He could wipe out a whole planet by himself if he had the mind set for it." Connan pressed.

"He _is _the chosen one." Quai Gon interjected. "You must see it."

"Mmmmm, clouded this boy's future is." Yoda said. Connan scoffed.

"_It's not the only thing that's clouded, you can be sure of that."_ She thought to herself. Quai Gon stared at the boy, then glanced at Connan, and finally to Obi Wan.

"I will train him, then." He finally suggested. Connan's mouth dropped open. Her head whirled around to see Obi Wan's look of confusion. Quai Gon laid his hands on Anakin's shoulders.

"I take Anakin as my Padawan learner." He announced.

"An apprentice you have, Quai Gon." Yoda pointed out. "Impossible to take on a second."

"The code forbids it." Windu added.

"That must have been _after _my time, then." Connan stuck a finger in the air.

"Obi Wan is ready." Quai Gon stated. Obi Wan stepped forward. Connan took a step back to let them have their conversation.

"I am ready to face the trials." He told, his face set in determination.

"Our own council we will keep on who is ready." Yoda called.

"He is headstrong, and he has much to learn about the living Force, but he is capable." Quai Gon interjected. "There is little more he can learn from me."

A pause erupted from the Council.

"Young Skywalker's fate will be decided later." Yoda instructed. Connan giggled.

"_He actually formed a perfect sentence." _She thought.

"Now is not the time for this." Windu said. "The senate is voting for a new supreme chancellor, and Queen Amidala is returning home, which will put pressure on the Federation and could widen the confrontation."

"That part I missed." Connan said. Padmé was deciding to go back? She could have told Connan; the Jedi would gladly have gone with her.

"And draw out the Queen's attacker." The alien next to Yoda adjoined. Connan paled. She knew who the attacker was. She'd seen him before in her visions. He seemed so familiar now… she could almost add a face behind the black hood he wore.

"Something troubles the Time-Traveler, hmmm?" Yoda joked, grinning. Connan laughed sheepishly, shooting a glance at the ten year old boy in front of her. He stared back at her with wide eyes.

"Ha-ha. Cute name. No, I'm fine." Connan shook her head.

"Go with the Queen to Naboo and discover the identity of this Dark warrior." Windu ordered. Quai Gon bowed his head. "This is the clue we need to unravel the mystery of the Sith."

"Oh, so _now _you think it's the Sith." Connan growled.

"May the Force be with you." Yoda ignored Connan's remark. Connan scowled, turned and patted Æliesha on the head. She sighed rubbing the hound behind the ears as the dog whimpered her approval.

"Why do I sense a lot of death coming, Æliesha?"

-----

Connan walked with Quai Gon and Obi Wan as they neared the Nubian, Æliesha on one side and HK-47 on the other.

"It's not disrespect master, it's the truth." Obi Wan pressed.

"From your point of view." Connan chided.

"The boy is dangerous. They all sense it. Why can't you?" Obi Wan asked the two other Jedi.

"Oh, I suppose you weren't that dangerous at that age?" Connan asked. "You were untrained in the Force in those days, Obi Wan. A novice at best. To say you had such a control over the Force as to not be dangerous would be as if saying you were a Master at age ten."

"His fate is uncertain. He's not dangerous." Quai Gon snapped. "The Council will decide Anakin's future. That should be enough for you. Now get on board." Obi Wan sighed, turning and walking away sullenly.

"Quiet Suggestion: Master, I do not think that that conversation went too well." HK-47 said to Connan. She crossed her arms.

"Yeah, well, they have different views." She shrugged. "I hope that changes soon. Different views is what separated the Sith from the Jedi."

Anakin staggered over to Connan and Quai Gon solemnly, his hands clasped together in front of him. "Quai Gon, sir, I don't want to be a problem."

Connan sucked her teeth and knelt down to the boy, as Quai Gon did.

"You won't be, Ani." Quai Gon assured him. "I'm not allowed to train you, so I want you to watch me and be mindful."

"_He's _not allowed to train you, but they didn't say anything about me." Connan thrust her thumb into her chest. "As long as you don't grab a hold of a sword or anything, I can't call it training. We'll call it 'explaining'."

"You can get into trouble doing that though," Anakin pointed out. Connan waved a hand.

"It's not like they can do anything drastic to me anyways. I'm three thousand years older than all of them put together. Except Yoda. Force knows _how _old that thing is." Connan smirked. "You'll be fine. I'll just teach you self-defense. You may need it in the next few days."

"And always remember: your focus determines your reality." Quai Gon instructed. "Stay close to us and you'll be safe."

Anakin paused for a moment before talking again. "Master, sir, I heard Yoda talking about midi-chlorians." He twiddled his thumbs. "I've been wondering—what are midi-chlorians?"

"Yes." Connan nodded, staring at Quai Gon. "That was made _after _my time, I'll wager. What are they?"

"Midi-chlorians are a microscopic life-form that resides within all living cells." Quai Gon explained.

"They live inside me?" Anakin asked.

"Inside your cells, yes." Quai Gon stated. "And we are symbionts with them."

"Symbionts?" Connan repeated. "That's a new one on me."

"Life-forms living together for mutual advantage." Quai Gon clarified. "Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force.

"They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force." He saw Anakin's skeptical look. "When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you."

Connan paused to try out what he said. She smirked.

"_Sounds a lot like Kreia," _She told herself.

"I don't understand," Anakin sounded defeated.

"With time and training, Ani, you will." Quai Gon patted Anakin on the shoulder. "You will."

Padmé began to board the ship, her decoy in full costume beside her. Quai Gon met her in the middle and took the Queen decoy's hand.

"Your Majesty, it is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you." He told her. Connan glanced at Padmé, who was smirking knowingly.

"I welcome your help." The Queen said.

"Come on, Ani." Connan called to him. "They're about to take off."

"Wesa going ho-o-o-me!" Jar Jar shouted, throwing his fists into the air.

"Whined Query: _Master_, why is the rubber meatbag coming with us? It's not like he can shoot anything or use a sword." HK-47 asked Connan. She laughed.

"Rubber meatbag? I like that." She chided. "It's his home, H. We can't keep him here. He'd end up blowing the whole place up."

"Acceptance: I'm sure you're right, Master."

"Come on, H. We need to talk once we get on the Nubian." Connan pushed the droid onto the ship as the ramp began to close.

-----

"So," Connan started. "Let's begin with the basics. How did you survive four thousand years?"

"Answer: That Master, is simple. Four thousand years ago you placed a chip in me that would allow me to adapt to any changes in the galaxy, so I could survive easily. Continuation: You also added a rewritable translator in me so I could assimilate any new languages I ran across."

"Alright, then. Why did you suddenly disappear four thousand years ago on a simple assassination mission?" Connan pressed.

"Reluctant answer: Master, I'm not sure I should be telling you this. You ordered me that once you were gone, I was to eliminate anyone who served a threat to the Republic. General Seevupleh was staring a dictatorship on Naboo and would have destroyed the Republic had I allowed him to live." HK-47 answered, his voice absorbing pride.

"So you did finish the mission?" Connan asked. "The report never said if you were successful or not."

"Offended Addendum: Successful? Master, I shot his head clean off!" HK took a step backward.

"So why did you disappear?" Connan asked.

"Answer: Strangely, Master, my battery short-circuited on me. When I woke up, I saw you staring me in the face on Naboo." HK-47 shrugged.

"Well that leaves an open vacuum." Connan pouted, crossing her arms and sighing.

Connan gasped as the throat closed up on itself. She widened her eyes and paled immensely. Another vision was coming to her.

"Query: Master? Are you alright?" HK-47 waved a hand in front of her face.

"Get…Q-Quai Gon…." She choked. "Now!" The droid ran off.

She saw Naboo. Inside the palace, the viceroys stood with Darth Sidious' hologram.

"**Is the planet secure?" **The Sith Lord asked. Connan cringed. Where had she heard that voice?

"**We have taken over the last pockets of primitive life-forms." **Said one of the viceroys. Connan shook her head. That meant that the Gungan city was taken. **"We are in complete control of the planet now." **Darth Sidious nodded.

"**Good. I will see to it that in the senate things stay as they are."**

Connan gasped. Darth Sidious had control of the senate? That wasn't good. Who could it be?

Valorum? Highly doubtful. He had no more power in the senate. He'd been knocked down by Padmé. The Trade Federation? Not likely. Most of that Federation consisted of those frog-looking freaks. Palpatine?

The thought was laughable. Connan had recently heard that he was nominated to precede Valorum.

"**I am sending my apprentice, Darth Maul, to join you." **Sidious continued. Connan sighed. Just great.

"**Yes, my lord." **The viceroys bowed their heads. The hologram disappeared.

Connan was thrown out of the vision and landed in Quai Gon's arms. He was holding her up, preventing her from falling.

"You alright?" He asked. Connan's throat was still closed up. She forced herself to breathe, slowly opening her throat again. She gasped in the air, welcoming the oxygen. Her hand flew to her throat and her knees buckled. Quai Gon helped her to the floor and kept a hand on her shoulder to hold her in place.

"Is she alright?" Anakin's voice asked. He stood behind Quai Gon and studied Connan.

"I—I'm fine." She said.

"Anakin, would you please retrieve Obi Wan for me?" Quai Gon asked. Anakin was gone in a second.

Connan coughed. Quai Gon slapped her on the back a few times.

"What was it?" He asked.

"It seems a red and black Zabrak is following us to Naboo." She told. Quai Gon sighed.

"I thought as much." He shook his head.

Obi Wan burst into the room.

"What happened?" He asked. "Did she collapse again?" Connan nodded.

"Here, help me get her into a chair." Quai Gon hoisted Connan up and with the help of Obi Wan, sat her at a table in the mess hall.

"Why do you keep seeing these things?" Obi Wan asked. Connan shrugged.

"I think Red-and-Black's master is pulling me along a string." She suggested.

"He has a master?" Quai Gon asked.

"To be sure. He was _way _too easy to be a Master. Unless they've lowered the standard for Masters considerably. I could take him on with only _one _of my lightsabers." Connan laid her head on the table.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Obi Wan inquired, running a hand through his hair.

"Just because he's going to Coruscant doesn't mean he's going to be there when we get there. I suggest we worry about taking back Naboo from the Trade Federation and then try to take care of Red-and-Black." Quai Gon stated. "That way our thoughts are in order and we won't be trying to do two things at once."

"But what if he comes while we're trying to take back Coruscant?" Obi Wan asked.

"Then we'll kill two mynocks with one shot." Connan chided. "We've got a plan."

-----

Connan in the Queen's chambers, listening to the captain of the guard tell her what will happen when they reach the planet.

"As soon as we land," Panaka started, "the Federation will arrest you and force you to sign the treaty."

"I agree. I'm not sure what you wish to accomplish by this." Quai Gon chimed.

"I will take back what's ours." Padmé's double said. Padmé stood beside Connan, nodding in approval of the answer. Connan smirked.

"All things going well, Your Majesty?" She whispered to the handmaiden. Padmé chuckled.

"You could say that."

"There are too few of us, Your Highness," Panaka pushed. "We have no army."

"And I can only protect you." Quai Gon agreed. "I can't fight a war for you."

"Wars aren't easy things to win by a small ship of people, but it's been done before." Connan raised a finger. Æliesha barked.

"Jar Jar Binks." The Queen said. Jar Jar hummed, looking up from his feet.

"Mesa, Your Highness?"

"Shocked interjection: _Him_, Your Highness?" HK-47 added.

"Yes, I need your help." The Queen stared at Jar Jar. "A very explicit assignment."

-----

"I have one battleship on the scope." Connan called to Obi Wan, pressing buttons on the screen. "I'll pull it up."

The ship was almost a circle with a big sphere in the middle of it. "It's a droid control ship."

"They're probably already spotted us." The pilot inferred. Obi Wan sighed.

"We haven't much time." He looked back at Connan. "Prepare everyone for landing."

Connan nodded and took off to the Queen's chambers.

"Guys, we're about to land. Prepare yourselves." She called in, opening the door as she went. Padmé stood next to the Queen, both of them staring at Connan in surprise.

"It's alright, she knows." Padmé told her double. The Queen relaxed.

"What is it you were saying?" She asked.

"I just said we're about to land. There's a droid control ship in the air next to us, so we've got to prepare for a battle." Connan explained.

"I hope Jar Jar comes through for us." Padmé cooed. "Thank you. We will prepare at once."

Connan nodded. "Uh, do you guys know where Anakin is?"

"He's in the droid room." Padmé answered. Connan bowed and left.

"Anakin!" She called. "Anakin!"

"Yes?" Anakin's voice came from the droid room. Connan entered. Anakin was cleaning off R2-D2 while HK-47 watched.

"We're about to land now, little Ani." Connan said. "That means we're going to have to battle sooner or later."

"I know," Anakin sighed, fear radiating off of him.

"Oh, don't be scared." Connan rubbed his hair. "You've got me to protect you! A three thousand year old Jedi Master/Sith Lord _has _to have some skills in the bodyguard area."

"Why do you keep saying you're three thousand years old?" Anakin asked , raising an eyebrow. Connan chuckled.

"I'll explain it once this is over, okay?" She said. "It's an _awful _long story."

"You will?" Anakin seemed skeptical.

"It's a promise." Connan slapped their hands together. "Now, once we get settled on Naboo I'll start teaching you self-defense, so you can protect yourself from blaster shots and things of the like."

Anakin nodded, beaming.

"So let's get started, okay?" Connan took Anakin's arm and pulled him to the cockpit, the two droids following.

-----

"Jar Jar is on his way to the Gungan city, Master." Obi Wan reported.

"Good." Quai Gon praised.

"Now if he can just get back without getting killed, we'll be good to go." Connan chided. She chuckled.

"Do you think the Queen's idea will work?" Obi Wan asked.

"It would be better if she herself could meet them, I keep saying. Even thought it _is _underwater." Connan answered. Æliesha rubbed against her leg, growling affectionately. Connan bent down to pet her friend.

"The Gungans will not be easily swayed. And we cannot use our power to help her." Quai Gon said.

"It takes too much mental energy and time to Force Persuade people to align with other people." Connan clarified.

There was a silence while Obi Wan stared at his shoes pitifully.

"I—I'm sorry for my behavior, Master. It's not my place to disagree with you about the boy." Connan raised an eyebrow at Obi Wan. "And I am grateful you think I'm ready to take the trials."

"You've been a good apprentice, Obi Wan." Quai Gon admitted. He chuckled, laying a hand on Obi Wan's shoulder. "And you're a much wiser man than I am." He shook Obi Wan's shoulder gently. "I forsee you'll become a great Jedi Knight.

Jar Jar popped out of the swamp, blubbering all over the place as he got the water off of his head.

"Desa nobody dare." He told. "The Gungan city is deserted. Some kinda fight, mesa thinks."

"Why didn't they listen to us? Bunch of bulk-headed—" Obi Wan cut Connan's insults off.

"Do you think they have been taken to the camps?" He asked.

"More likely they were wiped out." Panaka suggested.

"No, I would have felt that." Connan disagreed.

"Now who's thinking highly of themselves?" Obi Wan whispered.

"Shush!" Connan growled. Æliesha gave a warning bark.

"Mesa no tink day was wiped out." Jar Jar pointed at Panaka.

"Do you know where they are, Jar Jar?" Quai Gon asked.

"When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mesa show you. Come on, mesa show you!" Jar Jar was off. Connan followed closely on his heels.

-----

Connan walked next to Quai Gon and Anakin with Æliesha at her side as they walked through the hoard of Gungans to the Boss Nass. The Queen stood at the front while Padmé stayed in the third row of people.

"Your honor, Queen Amidala of the Naboo." Said Captain Dales, waving a hand at Padmé's double.

"Uh, h-heyo dadee, Big Boss Nass, Your Honor." Jar Jar meekly greeted.

"Jar Jar Binks." Boss Nass growled. "Who's da uss-en uthers?"

"I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo." The double started. "I come before you in peace." Big Boss Nass grew a grin.

"Ah, Naboo biggen." He chided. "Yousa bringen the Mackineeks. Yousa all bombad."

"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance." The Queen went on. Padmé stepped forward.

"Your Honor." She said. Connan gulped.

"Do you know something we don't know?" Obi Wan asked. "You're suddenly very nervous." Connan shook her head.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

The Big Boss Nass clicked his tongue.

"Whosa dis?" He asked, holding out his arms.

"_I_ am Queen Amidala." Padmé said. A gasp arose from all of her soldiers, Anakin and two of the Jedi. Connan laid her head in her hands.

"Huh?" Jar Jar toned.

"This is my decoy." Padmé turned to the Queen. "My protection, and my loyal bodyguard." She shook her head. "I am sorry for the deception but it was necessary to protect myself. Although we do not always agree, You Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace." The Big Boss Nass mumbled something. "The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever." She took a breath. "I ask you to help us." Padmé glanced at Connan and nodded. "No, I _beg _you to help us." Padmé fell to her knees, Connan immediately following suit.

"Come on, Æliesha, show a little respect!" Connan hissed. Æliesha laid down on the ground, pushing her head as far down as she could. "There's a good girl."

"We are you humble servants." Padmé ended. The rest of the soldiers behind her bent to their knees as well, including the two Jedi, Jar Jar, and Anakin. The Big Boss Nass stared in surprise. "Our fate is in your hands."

For a minute the Big Boss Nass mumbled to himself, inspecting Padmé. Then he burst out laughing. "Ha!" He laughed. "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans?" He asked, pointing at Padmé. He chuckled once more. "Me-e-esa lika dis." Connan and Obi Wan exchanged glances. "Maybe... wesa… bien friends."

The blubbered again, making Connan cringe.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" She whispered. Quai Gon laughed.

-----

"They here!" Anakin cried, running over to the group of people studying battle plans. Connan stared at him. Behind him, three speeders came to a stop. Captain Panaka jumped out of the first one.

"Good, they made it." Padmé remarked.

"Captain." Quai Gon bowed his head as Panaka made his way to the table.

"Your Highness," Panaka started.

"What's the situation?" Padmé asked.

"Almost everyone's in camps." Panaka answered. "A few hundred police and guards have formed an underground resistance movement." The Big Boss Nass joined the table now, standing proudly next to Quai Gon. "I brought back as many of the leaders as I could." He took a deep breath. "The Federation army is also much larger than we thought, and much stronger."

"They always are, aren't they?" Connan murmured.

"Your Highness, I do not think this is a battle we can win." Panaka finished.

"The battle is a diversion." Padmé countered. "The Gungans must draw the droid armies away from the cities." She glanced at Connan, smiled, and went on. "R2." R2-D2 projected a small scale map of the palace onto the ground.

"We can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side." She stopped as a red line raced across the screen. "Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion. Then we can enter the palace and capture the viceroy." She paused to stare at Quai Gon, who was calculating the attack.

"Without the viceroy, they will be lost and confused." She continued. "What do you think, Master Jedi?"

"The viceroy will be well-guarded." Quai Gon answered.

"The difficulty is getting into the throne room." Panaka stated. "Once we get inside, there shouldn't be a problem."

"There's a possibility, with this diversion, that many Gungans will be killed." Connan coolly suggested, staring at the Big Boss Nass.

"Wesa ready to do our-san part." The Big Boss Nass hit his chest.

"We have a plan that should immobilize the droid army. We will send what pilots we have to knock out the droid control ship orbiting the planet." Padmé continued.

"A well-conceived plan." Quai Gon admitted.

"It's all thanks to Connan. She helped with the ideas." Padmé nodded her head at Connan, who turned red.

"Aw, you know, someone who's seen war before knows the ropes." She scratched the back of her head.

"However, there is still great risk." Quai Gon went on. "The weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields."

"And there's an even bigger danger." Obi Wan stepped in. "If the viceroy escapes, Your Highness, he will return with another droid army."

"That's why we can't fail to get the viceroy." Padmé countered. "Everything depends on it."

"Have a little faith in the girl, Obi Wan." Connan hissed. "She knows what she's doing."

"But what about the shields to the outside ship?" Quai Gon reinstated the first problem.

"If all else fails, I guess someone could blow it up from the inside…." Connan chided.

"This is no time for jokes, Connan." Obi Wan warned. Connan giggled.

"Well, let's get started."

-----

Padmé led Connan and the others into the city, crouching behind a wall to check for other droids. There were a few of them guarding the front of the palace. Padmé pulled out a flasher and pointed it in the direction of Panaka and his troops, which were on the opposite side of the city than Padmé. Her purple light was answered with a blue light, signaling they were ready to fight.

Connan and Quai Gon turned to Anakin and knelt to him.

"Once we get inside, you find a safe place to hide and stay there." Quai Gon ordered. Anakin, still a little dazed, nodded.

"Sure."

"Stay there."

"I will." Quai Gon patted Anakin's shoulder.

"If anyone tries to attack you remember what I taught you, okay?" Connan rubbed his hair. "But _only _if someone attacks _you_. Don't try to play hero with this fight." Anakin nodded again. Connan gave him a quick hug and spun around.

"HK-47, stick with me and Æliesha no matter what happens, got it?" Connan ordered the droid. The Kath Hound barked.

"Compliance: It will be done, Master."

Tank shots were fired as a droid tank exploded. Connan whipped out her lightsaber and began deflecting blaster shots aimed at her and Padmé. Padmé opened the doors to the palace and ushered everyone in.

"_No," _Said a voice in her head. The malice poured into it shocked Connan. A hand thrust to her head as an ear-splitting headache came to her. _"You don't go._ _Stay outside the palace. **Fight me**_."

This was the voice of Darth Sidious. Connan growled to herself. She thought only Darth Maul was here! Why was she hearing Darth Sidious say, "Fight me"?

"_You know where I am. Fight me or I'll kill the boy._"

Connan gasped. The headache left. Everyone was staring at her.

"Are you alright?" Quai Gon asked. "Was it the Precognition again?"

"No." Connan answered quickly. "You go on ahead. I have to stay out here."

"What?" Padmé and Anakin asked at the same time.

"You can't just leave!" Anakin cried.

"I'll come back." Connan told him. "I promise." Connan stared at the other two Jedi.

"Why so suddenly?" Obi Wan asked.

"I don't know." Connan deflected a blaster shot from a droid. "I just have to."

"Be safe." Quai Gon told her. She nodded.

"Get going." She told them. "You don't have all day. H, Æliesha, you two stay with me."

Padmé nodded, sprinting forward into the palace. Connan watched them go, then bolted into the fray of droids.

Battling back blaster shots with one lightsaber and slashing through droids with the other saber takes practice, especially if you're the only one not firing at anything. Connan's hands were constantly in motion.

Finally the last droid went down. The resistance tanks came to a stop and the men piled out of them.

"Get to the throne room!" Connan shouted to them. They all sprang into the palace.

Connan was alone, save for HK-47 and Æliesha. They scouted the area for any other droids while Connan sat on the wall, resting her arms.

"There were a lot of droids there." She panted. "I haven't worked like that in a long time."

"Suggestion: Master, why don't you rest up and tell me why we abandoned our group." HK-47 said.

"Sure. I'll tell you." Connan began explaining what happened.

-----

Quai Gon opened up the hangar bay doors and immediately began repelling blaster shots made at him.

"Ani, find cover." He ordered. Anakin nodded, taking off to the side of the hangar. "Quick!"

"Get to you ships!" Padmé yelled to the pilots.

Anakin hid behind a yellow crate when a blast hit wires behind him, sending sparks in his direction, spooked, he went in search of more cover.

As more pilots started their ships, the more droids were knocked down. Anakin saw R2-D2 be pulled into one of the fighter jets, and ran to join the machine. The last of the droids went down as the last pilot left.

"My guess is that the viceroy's in the throne room." Padmé told Panaka.

"Red group, blue group, everybody this way!" Panaka ordered. Anakin poked his head up from the cockpit of his fighter.

"Hey, wait for me!" Anakin called, standing.

"Stay where you are. You'll be safe there." Quai Gon ordered.

"But—"

"Stay in that cockpit."

The doors of the hangar bay opened to portray a man in a black cloak. Padmé stopped to stare at him intently. Quai Gon gasped.

"We'll handle this." He said, moving to the front of the group.

"We'll take the long way." Padmé agreed.

Obi Wan and Quai Gon took off their robes to keep them from getting in the way as Darth Maul did. He took off his hood to show the spikes coming out of his head.

"Right, bone structure of a Zabrak." Quai Gon murmured.

-----

Anakin watched as three Destroyers rolled into the hangar as well. They turned on their shields and began firing at the large group.

"We gotta do something, R2!" The boy cried. But what?

-----

Darth Maul brought out his lightsaber, holding the extremely long hilt sideways. He clicked it two timed. Two sabers came out of the sides.

Quai Gon and Obi Wan had to deal with a double-bladed lightsaber. They pulled out their one-sided blades and held them for attack.

-----

Connan finished explaining the situation to HK-47 and stood.

"So now we're out here, searching for a Sith Lord that doesn't seem to be around."

"Oh?" The voice surprised Connan. She turned around just in time to see the red lightsaber leave the black-hooded man's hand and fly into Connan's face.

"Interjection: Master!" HK-47 cried. Æliesha barked in alarm.

Connan screamed, blocking her face from impact.

Sparks flew everywhere, and Connan didn't feel the melting sting of a lightsaber against her arms. She opened her eyes and took away her arms. She gasped.

On the ground, at her feet, was HK-47.

-----

**This chapter's a little different, I know. I only have about three more chapters left. Then I'll get started on movie two! ((claps)) I'm on chapter 39, and I'm 1:51:01 through it.**

**Just so everyone knows, number one will have just Connan in it, number two will have Carth and Connan in it, number three will have Carth, Connan, and Bastila in it. Four, five, and six will have just Carth and Connan in it, and during the last three there will be no going back to their time. They stay throughout all three movies and leave at the end.**

**Please review people! I'm so exited I'm almost done with this! **


	10. Duel of the Fates

**Chapter Ten: Duel of the Fates**

There was a slight pause between Darth Maul and the two Jedi as they stared into each other's eyes. While Quai Gon and Obi Wan exerted expressions of uncertainty and bewilderment, Darth Maul's sharp yellow eyes screamed determination. The Sith apprentice lurched forward in an attempt to strike down Obi Wan. The Jedi jumped over him, blocking one side of Maul's saber.

The battle began slowly, each member of the clash building momentum for their attacks. Darth Maul kept Quai Gon on his toes, blocking two blades from the same saber while trying to kill the Sith.

-----

Anakin watched in horror as the blaster shots from Padmé's squads made no impact on the Destroyers. He had to help them out. He was in a battle pod, wasn't he? It had to fire something bigger than a blaster pistol's shot.

R2-D2 beeped him complaints at Anakin's slow pace.

"I'm trying to! I don't know where the trigger is!" Anakin whined. He pressed a button and the ship turned on, flashing green lights in Anakin's eyes. "Oops, wrong one. Maybe it's this one!" He flipped a switch and the cap secured itself over Anakin's head.

"Nope. Wait, here it is." Anakin pulled a stick out from its holster and pressed a knob on the top. The ship began firing at the Destroyers, blowing them up. "Yeah!" Anakin threw a fist into the air.

As the ship flew out of the room and into the air, Anakin heard Padmé's yell to her squad.

"Let's go!"

-----

"H?"

No answer. Connan nudged an arm with her foot.

"HK-47?"

Still nothing. Connan clenched her fists together. Æliesha howled mournfully.

"You…" Connan glared at the black-hooded man. "You killed my droid. Who the hell are you?"

"I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now." The man coldly spat.

"Why did you kill my droid?" Connan screamed, tears running down her face.

"It was a matter of logic, really." The man held a hand lazily in the air, waltzing around Connan in a circle. "If I put you in any danger at all, your precious assassin droid will come to your rescue. If I destroy the droid, I get you angry."

"Do you really want to die that badly?" Connan asked.

"My dear Revan, I am not the one who is going to die this day." The Sith Lord growled. Connan blanched.

"What did you say?" She ignited her lightsabers.

"You don't think coming here was pure accident do you? You think that the _Byssual _which brought you here was conjured up by a mistake?" The man laughed. "Oh, how amusing."

"So first you rip me from my world, screw around with my head and my annoyingly acute Precognition, threaten to kill Anakin, and now you kill my droid?"

"Are you angry?"

"No, I'm so happy I could pull out your guts and feed them to you."

"Then I've done my job well." The Sith Lord stepped closer to Connan. He turned on his lightsaber. "Now, let's see if you still remember the Sith ways."

He attacked.

-----

"It's on automatic pilot!" Anakin screeched to R2-D2. The ship flew through the air and broke the atmosphere.

"Try to override it." Anakin told R2. He put on his helmet and watched as he soared through the clouds.

-----

Obi Wan hadn't had time to rest since the battle started. His arms were growing limp and his attacks grew slower. Darth Maul kicked Quai Gon in the gut, sending him on his back. Obi Wan charged the Sith, who opened a nearby door. He attempted to overturn the double-bladed saber in Darth Maul's hands.

Quai Gon leapt back into the skirmish just as Darth Maul kicked Obi Wan out of the way. Quai Gon growled. Changing positions to use another form of fighting, Quai Gon stabbed at Darth Maul. Obi Wan cam back to fight and soon they were double-teaming him again.

Darth Maul back-flipped onto a walking platform as the two Jedi attempted to kill him. Quai Gon immediately leapt after him, followed by Obi Wan. Their sabers clashed together.

-----

Padmé ran through the hallway with her squads behind her. Battle droids ambushed them halfway through the hallway, forcing them to split and use the pillars as cover. They shot back at the weak machines, attempting to make them retreat.

"We don't have time for this, Captain." Padmé pressed Panaka.

-----

Anakin gaped as he spotted the battle field in space, above the huge battle ship they'd spotted when they arrived.

"Look! There they are. That's where the auto-pilot's taking us." The boy chuckled nervously. "Well, this isn't playing hero, is it?" He asked the droid. The screen in front of him buzzed.

"_The deflector shield is too strong." _Someone said. An explosion ahead of Anakin made a small marker on Anakin's mapping system blink out.

"Uh-oh." He gawked. "This is _definitely _self-defense."

A big bubble on the battle ship blew up, taking three of Naboo's fighters with it. R2 beeped as they flew past.

"Whoa, this is tense!" Anakin squealed. He covered his eyes as two enemy fighters nearly blew him up.

"R2, get us off this auto-pilot; it's gonna get us both killed." He ordered. R2 beeped his response as the screen turned from red to green.

"You did it R2!" Anakin congratulated. "Okay, let's go left." Anakin held onto the steering sticks and surged them left. The ship complied, twisting through shots and it went.

R2 beeped a meek suggestion.

"Go back?" Anakin asked. "Look, Quai Gon told me to stay in the cock pit, so that's what I'm going to do. Connan told me to use self-defense, and these people are firing at me, right?"

There were now three enemy fighters on his tail. He moaned, looking back.

"I'll try spinning. That's a good trick." He flipped himself upside down. "Whoa!"

R2 beeped a frantic reply.

"I know we're in trouble, just hang on!" Anakin growled to his droid.

-----

Padmé shot down another battle droid when Panaka blew a hole through the window opposite of them.

"Go!" He shouted. Padmé took off running, stowing away her gun as she climbed out the window. Half of her squad followed.

"Ascension guns." Panaka ordered. Padmé hooked hers onto her belt and aimed her blaster upwards as the others did. They shot up the building, latching the shots onto the side. Their guns pulled them upward onto another floor of the building. They unhooked the guns and replaced them with blasters. Padmé shot through another window.

"Let's get going." She ordered.

-----

Connan leapt into the air as the hooded man thrust his saber at her. She landed behind him, shoving one of her sabers into his back. He blocked it.

Connan couldn't tell where her hands were being placed. She was never taught to focus on where her hands were going. She focused on where his hands were and where they were placed next.

The man drove his hilt into Connan's face. She felt the bones in her nose crumble and the warm, sticky, all-too-familiar texture of blood rolling down her face. She was knocked backwards into a pillar. She wiped the blood away, groaning.

"Why do they always go for the nose?" She asked herself. "Carth's gonna kill me."

She struck at the hooded man with speed, catching him off-guard before his lightsaber could react. She brought him to his knees and stepped back.

"What will you gain from this, Darth Sidious?" She asked, twirling her lavender sabers through her fingers. "What do you hope to accomplish by killing me?"

"My dear girl, who ever said I was going to _kill_ you?" He answered, struggling to stand. "It is not Connan Frai I want, it's _Revan_."

"What?" Darth Sidious attacked her again. She parried and switched to offensive as she swiped at his chest. "You want me to go to the Dark Side?"

"Exactly. With you at my side, we could conquer the galaxy!" Connan threw him backward. She pulled out her blaster and aimed it at his head.

"Old man, I held the galaxy at its throat all by myself longer than anyone else ever has or will, both in my Light Side and Dark Side times. What makes you think I'd need _you _to do it again?" She snarled, firing off a shot. Sidious deflected it.

"I already have much control of the Republic." Sidious snarled. "It would give you a head start."

"Bite me." Connan spat on his robes.

"Such a rude Jedi. Anyone could tell you're on the brink of the Dark Side." Sidious persuaded. Connan rolled her eyes and swung her sabers back in front of her.

"Right, and Anakin will only live to be thirty eight."

-----

Obi Wan slashed one side of Darth Maul as Quai Gon attacked the other. Darth Maul had it down to a pattern. Block one side while attacking with the other then switch it as he went. The Jedi couldn't get a shot on him. Darth Maul slammed his foot into Obi Wan's jaw, flying him off of the ramp. He fell a few hundred meters before he caught onto another ramp and pulled himself up.

Quai Gon stood on a ramp high above Obi Wan, still battling it out with Maul. He kicked Maul in the stomach and sent him toppling down onto his back on a completely different ramp. Quai Gon jumped down after him.

Obi Wan stared at the ramp he needed to be on, gauging the amount of Force Jump he would need to get there. He leapt perfectly, landing on the correct ramp. He ignited his lightsaber once again and bolted for the brawl.

The time-set doors in front of Quai Gon and behind Maul switched off, letting the two fighters into the small hallway. Obi Wan ran faster, trying to catch up with his mentor. The doors clicked on again as he reached them, also separating Darth Maul and Quai Gon. Quai Gon sheathed his lightsaber, glaring wryly at Darth Maul. The Zabrak tapped his saber to the force field, having no effect. He began pacing in front of Quai Gon, waiting for his chance.

Quai Gon knelt onto his knees and began meditating, drawing energy from the Force to feed his strength.

-----

Padmé ran through the last hallway needed. Destroyers surrounded her squad, their blasters ready to kill. The squad pointed their blasters feebly at the droids.

"Put down your weapons." Padmé ordered. "They've won this round."

-----

Anakin still couldn't shake that last enemy fighter. It fired at him, causing R2-D2 to shriek. A shot hit next to the droid. The ship lurched forward unexpectedly.

"We're hit, R2!" Anakin informed his droid. He began spinning out of control into an opening in the battleship. He began doing his best to slow the ship down and dodge all of the closing doors and ship around him. R2 screamed at him.

"I'm trying to stop! I'm trying to stop!" Anakin cried.

Anakin's ship came to a stop at the end of the hangar. He shook his head to get off the dizziness.

"Everything's overheated." He said. He flipped the "On" switch. Nothing happened. R2 beeped, telling Anakin to look up. Battle droids surrounded the ship.

"Oops, this is not good." Anakin sighed. He pressed the button he'd pressed back in the Naboo hangar. Nothing happened.

-----

"You know," Darth Sidious broke from battle again, smiling darkly at an exhausted Connan. "I'm surprised you've survived this long. Surely the tactics used in ancient times are mediocre to today's fighting methods."

"You know," Connan chided, swinging one saber and then clanging both of them together. "I'm surprised you can talk so well with your foot lodged firmly in your mouth. Hello! We _invented _most of the forms you're using. Did your Sith Master teach you _nothing_ of history?"

"He taught me all I need to know." Sidious answered. "And it's gotten me far."

"So, did you do the cowardly thing and kill him in his sleep or fight him to the death?" Connan asked.

"Sleep."

"Like a true Sith." Connan shrugged.

Connan dropped her lightsabers. Her breathing became ragged and her hands flew to her gut. She fell to her knees and leaned against the pillar behind her.

"What—"

"Ah, I see one of your Jedi friends has finally fallen." Sidious crooned. Connan moaned. Pain seared through her stomach, as if someone had stabbed her with a lightsaber. She couldn't breathe.

"And now you won't be able to fight anymore. You're in too much pain." Sidious put on a pathetic sympathy look. "I suppose I'll have to take you off and remind you of the power of the Dark Side."

Sidious was nearing Connan. She groaned. He would kidnap her to his ship and torture her until she either died or allied herself with him. She couldn't do anything about it. She felt numb.

-----

**Minutes before….**

Quai Gon sat in his meditation position, patiently waiting for the doors to open. Darth Maul paced around his side, not taking his eyes off of Quai Gon. Obi Wan stood in the back, waiting for his chance to bolt and help his master.

Finally, the timer shut off and the lasers subsided. Obi Wan rushed to join his master. Quai Gon instantly took up his saber and attacked Darth Maul, who was already rearing to fight. Quai Gon spared nothing in attacking Darth Maul; he hit all the unprotected points and stabbed through the Sith's defenses.

Obi Wan stopped at the last laser as the timer switched back on. He could do nothing but watch.

Quai Gon and Darth Maul fought all around the ring of the room, careful not to fall into the middle. Quai Gon's resolve was weakening as his arms grew heavier and his attacks flew slower.

A pause in the battle ensued as Darth Maul clenched his black and brown teeth at Quai Gon, who simply glared at the Sith. They surged back into attack. Darth Maul thrust his hilt into Quai Gon's face, swirled around quickly and ran one side of his saber into Quai Gon's stomach.

Quai Gon dropped his lightsaber and gasped, falling onto his back.

"NO!" Obi Wan cried. He stared at his master, praying that he was still breathing. The life was not yet gone from him, but it was leaking quickly.

Obi Wan took a breath and became angry. He glanced at Darth Maul, who began pacing around, waiting for the lasers to shut off once more.

-----

Padmé and her squad were led to the throne room where the viceroys resided.

"You're little insurrection is at an end, Your Highness." The viceroy on the left boasted. "Time for you to sign this treaty and end this pointless debate in the Senate."

"Viceroy!"

Everyone looked to the doors. The Queen's bodyguard—still dressed as Queen—boldly walked up to the doors.

"Your occupation here has ended." She shot two battle droids guarding the front door and ran off, her squad following.

"After her!" The viceroy ordered. He glared at Padmé. "This one is a decoy."

Padmé sat on her throne and pressed a button. A compartment opened and Padmé handed out blasters to Panaka and his troops. They took out the remaining droids.

"Jam the doors." Panaka ordered. The viceroys were now alone.

"Now, viceroy, we shall discuss a new treaty."

-----

Æliesha ran to Connan and licked her face, hoping for a response. She couldn't get one. Connan couldn't move a single muscle in her body. Her Kath Hound turned, growled at Darth Sidious, and charged him.

The man ran his lightsaber through Æliesha's stomach.

**_NO! _**Connan shouted mentally. Æliesha fell onto the ground and stopped moving. A big purple blob formed under her and sucked her in. Connan attempted to scream, but no sounds came out of her mouth. She could do nothing.

Connan's head was spinning. She couldn't think straight enough to move her hands and grab her sabers. She couldn't move her legs enough to stand. She didn't even know if she had the _strength _to stand. If only she could put her hands in the position Darth Sidious had his in, clenching upwards, she might have been able to at least make a pillar or two fall between them and give her some time. But no! She had to have her hands on the ground, with her palms plastered into the sand.

_Wait,_ Connan thought. _His hands are clenched? What?_

True, Darth Sidious had his hands curled up tightly, facing the sun. Connan gasped inwardly.

_I know what he's doing. My gut is hurting enough already, but he put a Force Choke on me while I was down._

How was it that Connan could get out of Force Chokes again? She couldn't think straight enough to remember. She knew she could do it without her hands; she just needed to know _what _she was doing.

_It was a Force—Force something. It was that thing I did to Atris that pushed her into the Jedi Enclave Fountain and turned her hair—wait. Push! Force Push._

Connan clenched her eyes shut and focused on Sidious. A red line was emanating from him to Connan. She pushed it away with her mind. It barely waved.

_I've got to use more power than that. _She told herself. _Try again._

Darth Sidious was so close to Connan he could touch her face. She grunted, placing all of her mental energy into her Force Push. It was more powerful than she expected. She'd sent Darth Sidious flying into a pillar on the other side of the road.

Almost instantly, her arms could move about, her breathing was mostly restored, and she was on her feet. Her lightsabers flew to her hands.

"Kill my dog, will you?" She darkly threatened. "I'm going to cut you open, take out your entrails, and put them in a bowl."

"If all I had to do to get you this angry was kill your Kath Hound, I would have done it sooner." Darth Sidious threw his lightsaber at Connan.

The lightsaber stopped inches from her face. She hadn't moved an inch. She used to Force to turn it around and repel it back to Darth Sidious.

"Don't toy with me." She warned. "You'll lose."

"I agree." Darth Sidious succeeded in confusing Connan. He bowed. "Until we meet again, then."

He was gone.

Connan slammed her fist into a pillar, breaking her hand and cracking the pillar.

"You low-life. I'll enjoy killing him one of these days." She told herself. Her exhaustion then caught up with her, causing her to settle onto the ground.

"But," She said aloud. "I think I'll rest here until someone comes to find me."

She blanked out.

-----

Obi Wan was furious. He couldn't stand to wait behind a laser door while his master lay there dying. He igniting his lightsaber and waited for his chance.

It came.

He cried out, striking brutally at Darth Maul, fighting quicker than he ever had before. He no longer knew what he was doing, only that he was doing it. When chance came he'd pause in the battle to catch a quick breath or reorganize himself before throwing his lightsaber against Maul's once again.

He cut Darth Maul's lightsaber in half, sending one half of it down the long fall in the middle of the room. Darth Maul leapt up from the ground and assaulted Obi Wan once again.

Obi Wan knew he now stood a chance against Darth Maul, since he only had one blade left. The Jedi was kicked in the face again as he flipped backward, avoiding the middle of the room.

The two sabers clashed once more, testing each other's strength when Darth Maul's other hand came out and Force Pushed him into the middle of the room.

Obi Wan's lightsaber hung on the edge of the ring, and Obi Wan hung onto a bolt close to the top.

Darth Maul sauntered up to the middle of the room and pushed Obi Wan's lightsaber into the long drop. Obi Wan watched it fall, groaning as his arms grew weaker.

-----

R2-D2 beeped approvingly as the lights to the ship came back on.

"Yes! We have power!" Anakin called. "Shields up."

The battle droids tried firing at the machine, but it deflected them.

"Take this!" Anakin fired at the droids, blowing them all to oblivion. "And this!"

Anakin pulled the stick out a little more and fired three powerful shots.

"Whoa!" He gawked. The shots hit the main core.

"Oops." Anakin sheepishly admitted. He fired up the engine. "Let's get out of here." R2 beeped in agreement.

"_What's that?" _Rang the screen. _"It's blowing up from the inside!"_

"_We didn't hit it." _Another voice said into Anakin's screen. He smirked.

"Now _this _is Podracing." He called to R2. "Whoo!" He called, spiraling out of the exploding ship.

-----

Darth Maul crackled his lightsaber against the side of the ring, hoping to make Obi Wan drop. Obi Wan stared at Quai Gon's lightsaber.

_Maybe I can reach it,_ he said to himself. _If I can just call it and pull myself up…._

He glanced back at Darth Maul, whose expression changed into a bewildered look. Obi Wan felt the lightsaber move. He grunted, pulling himself up from the long drop and flipping over Darth Maul. The lightsaber flew to his hands. He slashed at Darth Maul, cutting him in half. Maul fell down the long drop, both sides of him clanging into each other as he went.

Obi Wan sheathed his lightsaber and ran to Quai Gon. He held his master's head up off the ground in an attempt to save him.

"No—no, it's too late." Quai Gon muttered.

"No," Obi Wan shook his head.

"Obi Wan," Quai Gon stated. "Promise—Promise me you will train the boy." Obi Wan nodded.

"Yes, Master." He answered.

"He is the chosen one." Quai Gon sputtered. "He… will bring balance. Train him."

Obi Wan nodded.

"And," Quai Gon winced. "Take—take care of Connan. If you ever see her again, be civil."

"Yes, Master. As always." Obi Wan forced himself to smile. Quai Gon's eyes closed and he lay still.

Obi Wan cried for him master. There was nothing else he could do. Anakin's ship had left the hangar, Padmé was all the way on the other side of the palace, and he didn't even know if Connan was still alive.

He picked up his master and made his way outside the palace. Once outside he looked around, bewildered. That rude assassin droid that followed Connan around was in pieces on the right side of the street. There was blood not five feet from it. In the middle of the street lay a lightsaber. Obi Wan held up a hand and called the saber to him.

It looked exactly like one of Connan's sabers.

"Connan?" He called. He set down his master next to the palace. "Are you here?"

Obi Wan ran to the middle of the street, where he'd seen the lightsaber. Laying next to a building beside it was a bloodied-up Connan. Her hair was matted down with sweat and her face was covered in blood. Her hand had bones sticking out of it and the pillar next to her had a _big _crack in it.

She looked _dead_.

"Connan." He ran to her. "Connan, wake up." He pleaded.

Connan stirred, immediately wincing in pain.

"Ah! I feel like I've just been stepped on by a bantha." She muttered. She stared at Obi Wan and realized where she was.

"Obi Wan!" She tried to sit up. "What happened? Did we win?"

Obi Wan nodded solemnly.

"We won, but Quai Gon didn't make it." Connan looked away.

"I know; I felt it." She said. She pulled up the robes from her stomach. A huge purple bruise emitted from it. Obi Wan hissed.

"You should get treatment." He looked around. "Where's Æliesha?"

"I—I'm not sure. She was stabbed by D—by that guy I was fighting, and this big purple blob came and swallowed her up." Connan stood with the help of Obi Wan.

"You think it was the _Byssual_?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'm not sure. I'd rather not find out." She answered. "Come on, I'll bet Padmé's wondering where we are."

-----

**Okay, two more chapters left, people! I'm sorry for the long update wait, I got really sick and couldn't get on the computer. I'll try harder next time! **

**I'm so excited! Two more chapters and I'll have finally finished a story! Yes! ((claps)) And I'm so sorry about the grammatical errors in the last chapter; I didn't notice most of them until I reread it _after_ I'd published it.**

**Please review guys! And thanks so much for not giving up on me!**


	11. Return

**Return**

Connan stood next to Obi Wan as the ship to hold the two viceroys let down its ramp. The viceroys were in front of Padmé, now fully dressed as Queen Amidala.

"Now, Viceroy," She started. "You're going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all of this." Panaka stepped forward, stifling back a chuckle.

"I think it's time to kiss your trading franchise goodbye." He suggested. He motioned for them to follow him. After the viceroys boarded, Obi Wan, Connan, and Anakin walked to the side of the ship to meet the new chancellor.

Palpatine met the three, grinning. Connan felt a chill go up her spine. Something wasn't right.

"We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi Wan," Palpatine bowed slightly. "And to you, Time-Traveler, for your excellent battle strategies which proved flawless."

Connan stiffened. How did he know she wasn't from that time? Only the Jedi Council knew that. Connan glanced down at Anakin, who wasn't paying any attention. She clenched her fists together.

"And you, young Skywalker," Palpatine patted the boy's shoulder. Connan squeezed her hand onto his other shoulder. "We will watch your career with great interest."

Connan scratched her head, squinting in bewilderment. Something had changed about Palpatine; and not just the new title to Chancellor. When Connan met him, he was at least friendly. Now his friendliness seemed icy, as if he was planning something.

Obi Wan broke her from her thoughts, nudging her shoulder with his.

"Hey," He whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Does anything seem different about Palpatine to you?" Connan murmured back, glancing down at Anakin to see if he was listening. He was watching Palpatine converse with Padmé.

Obi Wan shook his head. "I haven't felt anything of it. Are you sure it's not just you being jumpy? You haven't recovered much from that battle."

"I don't trust that man." Connan growled. "He's planning something. Don't turn your back on him."

"Together," Palpatine finished saying to Padmé. "We shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic."

"There's nothing wrong with him." Obi Wan insisted, holding a hand to the chancellor. "How can you think that?"

"I'm telling you, Obi Wan, that man is bad news." Connan pushed. "Just _please _keep a close eye on him until I can figure out why he seems so—I don't know… Dark Side. Alright?"

"Alright, alright." Obi Wan smirked. "So I guess that means you're staying here?"

"Until the _Byssual _comes, I see no reason to leave." Connan shrugged. She rubbed Anakin's hair. "Plus, I promised Little Ani that I'd tell him why people are always calling me 'three thousand years old' and 'time-traveler'."

Anakin whirled around at the sound of his name.

"You're going to tell me?" He asked. "You're really going to tell me?"

"I promised I would, didn't I?" Connan flicked his nose. "Now let's go find somewhere nice so we can talk."

"I'll have to take a rain check." Obi Wan backed up. "I've been summoned to a meeting with Master Yoda." Connan nodded.

"Okay, we'll catch you later." Anakin waved.

-----

"Alright. You want the whole story?" Connan sat in the garden with Anakin and Padmé, sipping her own concoction of Juma Juice. Anakin had asked if Padmé could hear the story as well, and Connan was happy to let her. It was Padmé who suggested that they tell it in the cool grass of the Naboo Palace garden. Anakin and Padmé sat with their legs crossed, eagerly expecting her to tell the story.

"Yes, the whole story. Start from the very beginning." Anakin clarified. Connan shrugged.

"Alrighty, then. Have either of you heard of the planet Korriban? It's about three light years away from Nar Shadaa." Connan explained.

"Korriban I've heard of. Nar Shadaa I haven't." Padmé said. "Korriban is supposed to be deserted though; for at least three thousand years. It's nothing but rock and sand."

"Well, almost four thousand years ago, my ship, the _Ebon Hawk_, landed on the planet, when the settlement was still there but the Academy was closed. We were going to search through a Sith Lord's tomb. The tomb of Marka Ragnos."

"Why were you grave robbing?" Anakin asked.

"We weren't grave robbing!" Connan whined. "We were looking for an artifact; or at least clues to its whereabouts. A long staff that can absorb the Force from places. If that staff fell into the wrong hands, it could be dangerous. We were going to find it and destroy it." Connan explained.

"So, what happened?" Padmé asked, pulling her legs closer into her.

"We'd decided ahead of time that Carth, Jolee and I would be the ones to search the tomb. Me because I'm the best fighter ever, Jolee because he's so old, he could remember the most of Marka Ragnos, and Carth because he was the only one I'd listen to." Connan reminisced. "Force, I miss those two."

"Who were they?" Anakin asked.

"Jolee was a half-Jedi, I suppose. He wasn't really Dark Side, but wasn't all that Light, either. He was an old bald man who knew his way around the Force, basically." Connan chuckled. "And Carth was an Admiral.

"Anyway, we landed on the planet and got out. Æliesha and I ran ahead of the other two. Then, suddenly, a big purple blob appeared in front of us. It swallowed me and my dog up. Then I woke up on Coruscant with Quai Gon." Connan shrugged.

"How do you know so much about battles and the Dark Side?" Padmé asked.

"Heh, that's a funny story. And it's much longer than the last one." Connan scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"We've got time." Anakin smiled.

"Alright," Connan took a deep breath. "Let's start off with the fact that my real name isn't Connan Frai, it's Revan."

"Revan? That's it? No last name?" Anakin asked.

"I probably did. But all of my life I went by the name Revan." Connan answered.

"So why are you called Connan Frai now when your name is Revan?" Padmé asked.

"Because…." Connan sighed. "I was a Sith Lord until the Jedi came and wiped my memory clean so I could destroy what I worked so hard to set up. Now people think of Revan as an evil sadist. So I steer clear of the name. I like Connan Frai better, anyway."

"Ooh! Now we've _got _to hear this story!" Anakin squealed.

"I lived on a planet called Sajor with my parents until I was four. My mother loved me but my dad seemed to hate my guts. He sent me away to a Jedi Academy, where I met my master, Kreia. She taught me everything she knew, including some things the Jedi Council would have objected to. I was a pretty advanced Jedi.

"When I turned eighteen, the Mandalorian Wars came down upon the Republic. The Jedi refused to join in the war, saying they saw something cloaked from the war. The war was a diversion. It took years for anyone to react to it." Connan pouted.

"The Jedi did _nothing_?" Padmé gawked. "Why? They let the Republic struggle on its own two feet?"

"Well, back then we had our own Republic army. The Jedi didn't have to fight all the wars, they just had to help." Connan shrugged. "Anyway, my friend Malak and I had had enough of all the losing the Republic did. We took a handful of Jedi and sprang into the war."

"Well, that's great!" Padmé grinned. "Thanks for the help!"

"Well," Connan continued. "I found something in the Unknown Regions that was being concealed until the Wars were over and the Republic was weak. Something that would have destroyed the Republic if I hadn't done something. I didn't have many options. I didn't know what else to do."

"So you became a Sith Lord?" Anakin gawked, tensing.

"Sort of. I acted like I was a Sith Lord. I wore a mask over my face so no one could see that I wasn't really a Dark Side Sith. I found a ship called the Star Forge and began using it to make small bands of Sith to attack the Republic in key places. I used it to assassinate Republic Senators who could end up hindering the Republic."

"So you made the Republic stronger when they thought you were making it weaker." Padmé finished. Connan nodded. "That's brilliant."

"What happened to Malak?" Anakin asked. "I heard you mention him once."

"I'd told him what we were going to do. At first he was all for it. Then, he began slipping into the Dark Side. I watched him fall, sadly. There was nothing I could do. I pretended like I'd fallen, too, to keep my gimmick up.

"But, Sith do have strange ways to promote themselves." Connan groaned. "The Jedi attacked our ship. I was to hold them off until I could get into the escape pods. But Malak saw his chance to gain possession of everything I'd built for the Republic and attacked his own ship. Everyone thought I'd died. But Bastila—the leader of the Jedi squad who attacked our ship—kept me alive. She and the Council wiped my memory of Revan and gave me a new life, a new story, and a new name." Anakin chuckled.

"Connan Frai."

"That's right." Connan nodded. "Then, you know, I get a crew, some Jedi training, and a dog and blew up Malak's ship and his head. The memories come back and the best Jedi in the galaxy regains her strength. Great story." She stood, brushing the dirt off of her back.

"Connan," Obi Wan stood in the entrance to the garden. He stared at her, a little pale. Connan raised an eyebrow. "You'd better come see this."

Exchanging glances with Anakin and Padmé, Connan strode to Obi Wan. He ushered her out of the garden and into a separate room.

-----

"How did the talk with the Jedi Council go?" Connan asked, crossing one leg over the other and leaning onto the clay table in front of her.

"The Council has given me permission to train Anakin." Obi Wan nodded, wiping his brow. Connan smiled.

"Really? That's great news! Did you pull me away just to tell me _that_?" Connan giggled.

"No, that's not it." Obi Wan shook his head. "Look, Yoda and the others researched the _Byssual_."

"Oh, did they? What did they find out?" Connan raised an eyebrow.

"Connan, the _Byssual _is a Dark Side entity." Obi Wan explained.

"I know that…. That's what Donella and the others told me about it."

"No—Connan, I don't think you understand it." Obi Wan laid his hands on her shoulders, alarming the Jedi. He'd never done something like that before. "The _Byssual _is a Dark Side _living_ entity."

"You mean…"

"It's alive."

"But that can't be right! The old Jedi Council and Donella told me it wasn't living."

"They're wrong. It's alive. That's how it can reach things and pull them into it. And how it can move from place to place."

"So…. Someone has or had control over the _Byssual_, and it's alive."

"Right."

"Well that's not good." Connan rubbed her chin. "Well, if it's a living thing, it can be wounded can it?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't suggest hurting it. If it's going to come back to take you back to your time, why would you want to hurt it?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'm talking if it comes back after me. Not that I don't love you people dearly, but it's confusing trying to keep up with what's what." Obi Wan nodded.

"I understand, Connan." He hesitated next. "There's something else."

"What now?" Connan scowled. Obi Wan pulled a datapad out of his robes.

"This." He waved it in front of her face. "This is a datapad." Connan laughed.

"Really? Intriguing. And when did you invent this?" The sarcasm dripped from her voice. Obi Wan growled.

"Cute. But this is serious. This datapad holds information about your—death." Connan blanched.

"No." She stepped backward. Obi Wan second-glanced her.

"No?"

"No. I'm not going to look at that datapad if it's got my death on it." Connan shook her head.

"But Connan, it's important. You have to know this. It's—"

"I've learned from my old Master Kreia that knowing too much of the future is a bad thing, Obi Wan. That's why the Force doesn't show much of anything in visions, and even those can be second-guessed. Even _being _here would be a bad thing if it wasn't so far into the future."

"But—"

"No buts! I—" Connan was interrupted.

"We'll discuss this later." Obi Wan rolled his eyes. "There's no talking to you when you're like this."

"Oh, when I'm like what?" Connan crossed her arms.

"When you're stubborn and defensive and won't listen to reason." Obi Wan answered.

"What reason? I see no reason to risk changing the future by looking at how I die!" Connan argued.

"You wouldn't be changing the future if you still let it happen!" Obi Wan countered.

"Why would I _let _myself die? I am not suicidal anymore, Obi Wan." Connan spat.

"Anymore? So that means you _were _suicidal at one point." Obi Wan inquired.

"Of course I was. I'd just found out I was a Sith Lord and Carth wouldn't even look at me. What was I suppose to do? Dance around on my head and wish it all away?"

"See that's the problem. _Nothing_ is a problem to you! You play it all off with sarcasm and biting jokes." Obi Wan pointed at her dejectedly.

"Oh yeah, like I want to be a serious Jedi with nothing to do but meditate and insist that the Sith aren't alive." Connan answered. "You're not the first Jedi to try and get me to change my ways, Obi Wan. Countless Jedi have tried in vain to tell me about 'the right way a Jedi should behave.'"

"Well maybe they'd stop if you'd actually _act _like one." Obi Wan sneered.

"Well then they're going to have to keep telling me, because the day I turn into a real Jedi is the day gizka can write in Basic." Connan concluded.

"What's a gizka?" Obi Wan cocked an eyebrow. Connan scowled.

"Never mind." She picked up her bag. "I'm out of here." She said.

"You're leaving?" Obi Wan gawked. "Why?"

"To go find a _Byssual_." Connan answered.

"You're going to miss Quai Gon's cremation?" Obi Wan asked. Connan sighed.

"Funerals were never my thing." Connan shrugged. "I'm going to say goodbye to Anakin and Padmé, then be off."

"Where will you look?" Obi Wan asked. Connan shrugged.

"I think the thing that swallowed Æliesha after she was stabbed," Connan choked as she talked about her poor dog. "Actually _was _a _Byssual_. It only swallowed her after she was stabbed."

"So what?" Obi Wan asked.

"Well, it's Dark Sided entity, right? So what if this is a different sort of reenactment of Darth Nihilus? He was drawn to all sorts of power. It annoyed me and Donella when we were partners because he wouldn't get off of our tail until Visas helped us kill him. Anyway," Connan saw the confused face of Obi Wan. "What if this thing was attracted to death of the things that had passed through it?"

"It _would _explain why the _Byssual _went for Æliesha and not for HK-47." Obi Wan shrugged. "But don't tell me you're going to go jumping off of cliffs or getting ambushed by indigenous tribes?"

"I'll figure something out." Connan shrugged. "So… I guess this is goodbye."

"So it is." Obi Wan smiled warmly.

"Well, for both of our sakes, I hope I won't see you again. But if I do, I'll stay around a little longer." Connan waved. "I'm going to go say bye to Anakin and Padmé."

-----

"I'll catch you guys later, Anakin." Connan rubbed his hair.

"But I thought you were staying!" Anakin whined. "It's not fair."

"I thought I was staying, too. But some things came up and now I have to get home. I'll see you and Padmé sometime again." Connan placed a hand on Padmé's shoulder.

"We'll be waiting." Padmé smiled.

"I hope you can get back." Anakin admitted. He sulked slightly.

"Hey…." Connan rubbed his head again. "If I ever come back I'll show you so many new tricks it'll make Obi Wan look like a novice. Deal?" Anakin's eyes lit up.

"Really?" He asked. Connan nodded.

"It's a promise."

The room became cold. Connan looked up at the doorway. Palpatine stood there, his hands folded and a smile on his face.

"Leaving so soon after victory, Connan?" He asked snidely, striding up to the three. Connan stood protectively in front of Anakin and Padmé.

"I'm afraid so," She said, faking kindness. "I've some things I must take care of."

"Well I wish you'd stay longer, you're going to miss Quai Gon's cremation." The Chancellor bowed his head in remorse. Connan inwardly rolled her eyes.

"I paid my respects to him, and he will understand, I'm sure." Connan nodded.

"Well do you know where you're going to go?" Palpatine asked.

"I'll just wander around Korriban, and I'm sure that I'll find a way… or it'll find me." She shrugged.

"At least allow me to give you transport." Palpatine offered. Connan sighed.

_We will need a transport to get to Korriban, you know; it's not like we can walk. _A voice said to Connan.

_I know, I know. I just don't like taking things from him anymore. _Connan answered, giving up.

"Alright, then."

"I wish you well, and I hope we meet again." Palpatine bowed and held out his hand for Connan to shake. Connan hesitated before extending her hand to him, grimacing.

"I'd best be off." Connan attached her pack to her right shoulder and strode out.

-----

Connan wiped the sweat from her brow, blocking out the sun with her arm. Korriban was now the _hottest _planet she'd ever been on, including Tatooine. There was nothing but yellow sand blowing in the wind, and large, stone walls which held the entrances of the tombs.

"Wow, if it didn't take a week to get to Coruscant, I'd start heading back." Connan sat on a golden rock, holding her head in her hands and sighing. "This is getting me nowhere."

She took her bag off of her shoulder and slapped the dust off of it. Opening the pack, Connan pulled out a scrap of food that she'd acquired from Panaka before she'd let the ship leave the desolate planet. Eating it slowly, Connan examined her next few steps.

While walking around the largest planet in the system she was in now had certainly gotten her completely exhausted, Connan didn't have a clue where she was. So the first thing she needed to do after her break was to figure out exactly where she was. Then she'd need to find exactly where the _Ebon Hawk _was when she disappeared. After that she'd be able to find where the _Byssual _took her and Æliesha to the future. It seemed the most logical place to start.

After swallowing the last morsel of food she had, Connan stood, stretched, and began trekking to one of the stone walls.

"Hmmm…." She felt across the pale structure. "This feels like Naga Sadow's tomb, so the _Hawk _was…." Connan began taking large steps away from the side. "Here." She stopped where her guess the _Hawk _was.

The rumbling sounds behind her unnerved the Jedi. She whirled around, calling her sabers to her hands and whirling them around. She paled, nearly falling over.

"Hssiss." She whispered to herself. "Four of them. Great." She held her two sabers protectively in front of her.

The first one jumped at her. She ducked under it as the second one lunged straight forward for her. Connan rolled out of the way. The third one jumped on top of her. She slashed her lightsaber across his ankles, tripping it and making it miss her. The fourth one attempted to trample her. Connan threw her sabers in the air, flipped into a handstand to miss the legs of the Hssiss and flipped back over, catching her sabers once more.

The four Hssiss turned on her once again at the same time, trying to surround her. She jumped on top of one's back and to the other side of it. Connan brought her lightsaber down onto its tail, slicing through it roughly.

The Hssiss screamed in pain, flailing about helplessly. It knocked into Connan without intention and sent her flying backward. She slammed into the Naga Sadow tomb. The other three Hssiss came bounding toward her. Connan jabbed at one with her right saber, nicking its thick skin. It winced in pain as it rammed its head into her stomach.

Connan smashed against the tomb once again, this time hearing the rib bones crack and feeling immeasurable pain in her chest. Screaming, Connan kicked the Hssiss away from her and thrust her lightsaber into its eye. It cried out, running away to try and heal its wounded eye.

The last two Hssiss attacked Connan roughly, as if they could sense she was already wounded and unable to move quickly. Connan blocked them with her lightsabers, thumping into the tomb every time.

"I can't keep this up." Connan whispered to herself. "I'm going to die if I don't get out of this."

Out of the corner of her eye, Connan saw a large purple mass form behind the Hssiss. Squinting, Connan looked full-onto it. A Hssiss his her chest once more. She screamed in pain, falling onto her knees.

What had that purple thing been? Could it have been—

Connan blocked another head-butt from the Hssiss.

"These things are going to be the death of me…." Connan whined to herself once again.

The purple blob formed once again. Connan sighed.

_Great. That thing is the _Byssual.

It disappeared. Connan raised an eyebrow.

"I'm getting nowhere standing here…." Connan told herself. She flipped over the two Hssiss and into the middle of the desert yard. She cringed, kneeling as her bones cracked. "They're going to kill me."

It came back again. Connan nodded.

"Alright, it comes when I tell myself I'm going to die." Connan shrugged, watching the _Byssual _disappear once again. The Hssiss were dashing toward her at full speed. A head-on collision would kill her for sure. "These things are going to kill me." Connan told herself.

Nothing happened. Stumped, Connan looked around. Not a _Byssual _in sight. It didn't make sense.

"The Hssiss are going to kill me if I don't get out of here." She said, louder and more clearly this time. Still nothing. The Hssiss were getting closer. She held up her sabers protectively.

"No, seriously though. The Hssiss aren't very merciful. I'm gonna die." Connan chuckled nervously. Nothing. The two Hssiss were lunging at Connan, laying their whole body weight into the attack. Connan covered her face with her arms, sheathing her sabers, and braced herself.

"Goodbye, future world!" She told herself.

A loud purring sound emitted from behind Connan. As the two Hssiss neared her, Connan fell backwards in a desperate attempt to dodge the fatal attack. She never hit the ground.

-----

"Connan!" Carth, utterly terrified, stared at Connan and her dog were sucked into the giant purple _thing _and eaten, just before the purple blob disappeared. "That stupid, brainless, idiot of a Jedi!" Carth kicked the ground.

"Lass!" Jolee had screamed. Nothing happened. He looked away. They hadn't been on the surface for more than ten minutes and already Connan had gotten herself stuck in something or other.

The purple blob appeared not even a fraction of a second after Connan and her Kath Hound had disappeared and threw Æliesha out. The dog flew into Carth, knocking him backward. He hit the ground, staring at the large hound on his chest. Æliesha held her head up wearily, stared at Carth, and froze.

Carth half-thought the Kath Hound was going to rip his face off. Æliesha had never liked him, and she absolutely abhorred it whenever Carth got near Connan. He closed his eyes and braced himself.

She licked his face lovingly, whimpering. Shocked, Carth sat up and rubbed the dog's ears.

"Where's—" He was interrupted. The purple thing made a loud purring noise and spat out its other prisoner.

It wasConnan, still under the impression she was battling two Hssiss with broken ribs. She flipped over her head and landed on her feet, with her knees bent almost to the ground. Her sabers swung from her fingers threateningly.

"Connan!" Carth called. Connan blinked, letting her arms go limp.

"I… what?" She squinted.

Carth's first impression was that both the dog and Connan had amnesia. The dog didn't try and hurt him and Connan was lost for words for one of the rare times in her life.

Connan sheathed her lightsabers back and felt her stomach. Nothing was wrong. Puzzled, she spun around on her legs. No pain. She felt her nose. The bones weren't trying to mend back together. She felt the stab wound where she felt Quai Gon die.

The pain tinged as the small impression of a bruise still hung from the three-week old battle.

"Connan?" Carth jumped to his feet. Connan stared at him. She paled, her eyes widening.

"Carth? Is that you?" Connan sputtered. Her legs gave up and she dropped. Carth scooped her up and touched his knees to the ground. Jolee felt Connan's forehead.

"Goodness, lass. You feel like you've been in this heat for hours!" He said. Connan coughed.

"Four days."

"Yes, well, you're probably dehydrated then." Jolee blinked. "Wait..."

"Connan, how could you have been out here for four days when we just got here two hours ago?" Carth asked, holding her head up. "What happened with that…. That…."

"_Byssual_." Connan closed her eyes. "It's called a _Byssual_." Æliesha sidled up to Connan, licking her hand affectionately. Connan, overjoyed, rubbed Æliesha's ears with her left hand. "You're alive!"

"You both should be lucky to be alive." Jolee answered. "Now let's get her back into the _Hawk_."

"Carth," Connan tightened her fist around Carth jacket. She was _home_. This was Carth's jacket. This was Carth's scent. This was _Carth_. "Carth!"

She blacked out.

-----

**Yes! I finished it all in one day! I know it's pretty late but I had company for like four hours so really if you think I could have finished it when it was two o'clock. **

**And I'm trying to get back into routine now that school's back in session. Hope all had a nice summer, and I'm back for good now! Please review and catch me next Sunday for the finale! (I promise I'll have it out on time!)**


	12. To Believe or Not to Believe

**To Believe or Not To Believe**

"Oh, honestly." Bastila placed her hands on her hips, scoffing. Carth carried an unconscious Connan up the _Ebon Hawk _ramp, followed by Jolee. "Heat exhaustion already? You've only been outside for ten minutes." Carth ignored her. He walked around her to get into the med bay.

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" Bastila reached for Carth's arm. Jolee held her back.

"Not now, lass." He whispered. Bastila's expression changed.

"What happened out there? Is she alright?" She asked Jolee, now alarmed.

"Connan's dehydrated. She said she's been wandering around Korriban for four days." Jolee squeezed Bastila's shoulder.

"_What?_ Four days? That can't be possible." Bastila sputtered, shaking her head.

"Possible or not, she's hotter than a Twi'lek cantina dancer on open-dance night." Jolee shrugged.

"Zing." Mission strode into the hallway, smiling. "Now what's wrong?"

"Well, we went outside and found this purple… thing in the middle of nowhere. Connan, being the curious person she is, touched it. It sucked her into itself, along with Æliesha, and spat them out not a second later. She came out as is." Jolee glanced from Mission, who was now horrified, to Bastila, to Candorous, who had just joined into the conversation. "Saying she'd been in Korriban's heat for four days."

"And you idiots are standing here talking about it while she's in there _dying_?" Candorous shoved past Bastila and into the med bay.

Carth was already well at work on Connan. He set her on top of the cot and placed a wet rag on her forehead.

"Candorous, now would be a good time for a kolto pack." Carth said without looking up from his work. "I already examined her, and she's got a puncture on her left side. It looked like it'd been heal already, but reopened for some reason." Carth swerved around to Candorous, who was gawking at the condition of Connan. Her head rolled onto her side limply and her arms hung off of the sides of the cot. This looked nothing like the Connan who left ten minutes ago.

"I wasn't talking to amuse myself, Candorous." Carth snapped. Candorous ignored the rude remark and left.

Mission ran in with another rag to replace the one on Connan's forehead.

"A kolto pack, Carth? Are you sure that's wise?" Mission dabbed at Connan's face with the cool rag, wringing out the first one, which was already room temperature. "She hates those things. It's—"

"It's thick and sticky and takes forever to come off unless you're somewhere near a 'fresher." Carth interrupted. "I know that, Mission. And she might be mad at first, but look." Carth pulled out a large datapad. "I just scanned her. Look at this." He clicked on the 'pad, and it lit up with Connan's bones and muscles. Mission glanced over it.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to Connan's left side of her rib cage. Carth chuckled mirthlessly.

"That, Mission," He started. "Looks to me like a lightsaber wound."

"But it looks like it was closed before. Why's it open now?" Mission asked.

"I'm not an expert, but it looks like the wound wasn't all that closed when she got into a rough fight." Carth shrugged. "And so without the kolto, she'll be sitting there with a big hole in her rib cage."

Mission blanched, backing up. "I'll tell HK-47 to bring three more." She left.

Jolee came in, examining the still-on datascreen with Connan's X-ray.

"Poor lass," He murmured. "I wonder what happened."

"Where's Bastila?" Carth asked.

"She's out scouting the area." Jolee answered. "In case something's still out there."

Candorous came back, handing Carth a kolto pack. Carth held it to Connan's side, preparing to inject it.

"Put that in me and I'll scream." She coughed.

"You're awake." Carth felt her forehead. It was still extremely hot, but he'd taken some of the heat out. "You've got a wound in your stomach. I'm trying to heal it."

"I'm fine," Connan rasped, hacking as she sat up. Carth pushed her back down.

"No you're not." He stressed. "Now just sit there and let me do my job." Connan glanced from him to Candorous. She gave in.

"Fine. But no kolto. The wound isn't bad. I got it three weeks ago." Connan stretched her muscles.

"Three weeks ago?" Jolee repeated, chuckling. Connan nodded, closing her eyes and wiping sweat off of her cheeks. "Connan, three weeks ago we were on Nar Shadaa. There're no Jedi on Nar Shadaa you should be fighting."

Connan opened her eyes.

"That was three weeks ago?" She sat up again.

"Lay down, Connan." Carth seemed more concerned for her health than the conversation. Connan ignored him, holding onto the hand that was supposed to push her down.

"We were in _Nar Shadaa _three weeks ago?" Connan repeated.

"Well, yes." Candorous sputtered, obviously shocked. "That's where you heard about the Tomb of Marka Ragnos having that scepter in it. We came here to get it."

"How long was I in that purple thing, Carth?" She asked abruptly. Carth glanced from her back to her rib cage, ignoring her question. "Carth… how long was I in there?"

"Not even a second, lass." Jolee was the one who answered. "You and Æliesha disappeared and reappeared perhaps a nanosecond later.

"Why?" He continued. "How long did you_ think _you were in there?"

Carth froze, his full attention now on Connan. She glanced from him to Jolee and shrugged.

"Eight months."

"What?" Carth shouted. "Eight months? That's impossible! Where exactly did you go?"

"The… the future." She sheepishly answered. "About four thousand years into the future."

"You statistics don't count you as any older, Connan." Jolee looked through the datascreen again. "And nothing seems different than when you left."

"I was there. I swear it!" Connan cried. She stared at Carth's disbelieving face. "You don't believe me? Then look at my datapad." She pulled it out of her bag and gave it to Carth. "You read the entry from ten minutes ago with your own eyes, so why do I have eight months worth of new entries now? I couldn't possibly have done all that when you people weren't looking."

Carth turned on the datapad and skimmed through the new entries.

"_Star date: I haven't exactly been keeping track._

_Alright, now I'm mad. The stupid Council told me that the _Byssual _will come back for me sooner or later, and until then, I'm stuck in this place! I'm going to get Zhar when I get back. And the other Council isn't being very supportive, either. If Windu isn't talking about how great a Jedi he is, he's telling me all the reasons _why _the Sith can't possibly come back. He's not the one who had to fight ol' Red-And-Black with a bad shoulder in the blistering heat of Tatooine! And Yoda's worse! Why should everything revolve around the Council? "No, Obi Wan can't be ready for the Jedi trials until we say he is!" "Oh, the Council Code forbids a Jedi Knight to take on two Padawans." They all make me sick. Good thing I have Æliesha to harp at. She seems to enjoy it as well as I do._

_I taught little Ani how to control a battle pod today. He had a little trouble figuring out which button controlled the missiles, which sealed the cockpit, and which turned on the auto-pilot. Hopefully nothing will come across that makes him have to use that knowledge anytime soon."_

Carth choked. "Who's Windu? And Yoda, and Obi Wan, and Anakin?"

"They're people in the future." Connan explained. "That's where I've been. I couldn't get out until the _Byssual _came back for me." Connan stopped her explanation to throw herself into a fit of coughs.

"Explain it to us later, Connan." Carth said. "Go to sleep. You've been through a lot."

Before Connan could protest, Candorous, Jolee, and Carth left the room.

"Do you really believe her story, Carth?" Candorous asked. Carth strummed through the datapad more.

"I'm not sure. It makes some sense, like how these entries were entered. They weren't here when I check this morning. And it would explain how she got that wound that hasn't fully healed, since she didn't have it when she left."

"You would know." Candorous joked, grinning.

"But she was only gone for and instant." Carth shrugged. "So there's no way all of this could happen that fast. And there's no sign to the datascreen that she's any older. 'Screens can tell if you've aged even by a day, and it didn't say anything had changed."

"So you think she's making it up." Jolee crossed his arms.

"Do you?" Carth asked.

"She's got no reason to lie to us, Carth." Jolee answered. "She doesn't usually lie to us anyway, and planning something this arbitrary just to fool us isn't within her sense of humor range.

"And besides, when she came out, she fell into a low stance with her sabers out, which meant she was battling something. An animal, since she was close to the ground."

"Her last entry is on Korriban." Carth mentioned. "Supposedly, she went searching for the _Bysuual_."

"You think she could've been battling Hssiss?" Candorous ventured.

"It's certainly a possibility." Jolee said, entering the main hall and pouring three cups of coffa. He handed one to Candorous and set the other next to Carth who was still skimming the 'pad. He gasped.

"It says here…." He stopped, gulping. "It says here that a Sith Lord blew up HK-47, and stabbed Æliesha in the back."

"What?" Candorous took the 'pad from him. "There's no way. Æliesha's being fed as we speak, and Mission's got a hold of HK." He took a sip of his coffa.

"Whatever happened, lads," Jolee stood. "We'll ask her about it when she wakes up."

"I don't think this could have happened," Carth rubbed his chin. "There's no way it could have been possible."

"But Carth—" Jolee said. "We're talking about the Force."

"True." Carth admitted. "I suppose I'll just get the whole story from her."

Back in the med bay, Connan lay frowning. Carth didn't believe her story, did he? Why would not believe her? She hasn't lied about something of this caliber before. She hasn't lied since she acted like she fell to the Dark Side four years ago.

Oh, well. She thought. I'll set him straight later. I think now I'll take him up on the whole sleep issue.

Connan fell asleep.

-----

**Four thousand and five years later….**

"Anakin!" Obi Wan called through Enclave. "Anakin, where are you?"

"I'm in here, Master." Anakin's small voice answered. "I found a datapad about Connan!"

Obi Wan blanched. He ran into the next room to see Anakin, his Jedi Robes ruffled and his hair shuffling around his shoulders. Anakin looked up at Obi Wan, a bewildered expression across his face.

"Master, why didn't you give this to Connan before she left?" He asked, waving around the all-too familiar datapad. "She could be—"

"I know, Ani." Obi Wan rubbed Anakin's head. "I tried to give it to her, but she wanted nothing of it. And you know her: I couldn't force her to read it. So I had to let her go without it." He switched the subject. "Now, come, my young Padawan. It's almost time for the Senate to vote."

"What are they voting for again?" Anakin asked, standing with his Master.

"Some of the planets have expressed they favor of letting Chancellor Palpatine stay on longer than his four year term."

"I like Chancellor Palpatine, Master." Anakin followed Obi Wan out of the room and toward the Senate conference room. "He's been kind to me since I've met him."

"Yes, well, he does have a good sense about him." Obi Wan agreed, a thought panging in the back of his head.

"_I don't trust that man. He's planning something. Don't turn your back on him."_

"_I'm telling you, Obi Wan, that man is bad news. Just please keep a close eye on him until I can figure out why he seems so—I don't know… Dark Side. Alright?" _

Why would Connan say such a thing about a nice, generous man like Palpatine? Mind you, Obi Wan wanted nothing to do with politics, and the man seemed to reek of it, but outside of the Senate, Palpatine was truly a Light Side person.

Maybe it was being too Connan. Anyhow, there couldn't be anything wrong with Palpatine. For five years Obi Wan had kept his eye on Palpatine and nothing had happened. Surely this meant that he was a good man.

"_Beside," _Obi Wan told himself. _"If he were Dark Side, he wouldn't wait a whole five years before showing everyone…. Would he?"_

-----

"Still don't believe Connan?" Candorous asked Carth. Carth frowned, a worried look plastered to his skull. Connan fell to the floor again. Bastila wiped sweat off of her brow.

"Connan, how could this have happened? Yesterday morning you could throw me down in two seconds. Then you came back from that so called, 'purple blob'. Now it takes ten." She asked.

"I keep telling you people, I'm rusty. I need to practice." Connan spat.

"Because you haven't fought in around eight months?" Carth asked.

"No, I have, but I was rusty then, too. He beat me pretty bad before I beat him." Connan explained. "And this time around, I'm not letting him get away."

"What?" Carth asked. The last part had been whispered.

"Oh, nothing." Connan shrugged, standing. "Let's start again." She lunged at Bastila with her lightsaber, feeling her sore muscles stretch as she went.

_I don't want to go back. _She told herself. _I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back._

_But if I do go back…. Sidious will get his._

**The End.**

-----

**It's only eight pages long. So what? Lol. I finished it a whole day early! So now I can get started on Star Wars II! Hopefully. I'll do my best.**

**I want to thank all of you for sticking with this story so closely. Estora, Queenoninsanity, and Lunatic Pandora1 for their consistency with reviewing all of my chapters. Also to NukeDawg, who has been a great help to me throughout the whole ordeal. Thanks to Dark Lord Daishi and all the reviews that kept me going. More thanks to Darth Phex, who probably has the coolest name out there! I always loved reading Darth Phex's two cents.**

**And of course, to the lovely Angela, for her exciting rants which she posted in the beginning.**

**Thank you all so much for reviewing my story, and I'll have the next chapter in the new story:**

**Attack of the Clones**

**Shocker, eh?**

_**Amme Moto**_


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